Danso-Bosome Freko Residents To Storm Manhyia Palace In Kumasi–To Petition Otumfuo Over Killer Galamsey Pit
According to the residents, their intended meeting with Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II is armed at seeking the assistance of the prominent traditional ruler to order their chief, Nana Opoku Kyei II to cover-up the death trap illegal small scale mining pit.
Freeman Koryekpor 
Thousands of residents of Danso, the farming community in the Bosome Freho District of the Ashanti Region announced that they would stormed the Manhyia Palace, the traditional seat of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II in the next coming week to discuss matter of community importance with the Asantehene.
According to the residents, their intended meeting with Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II is armed at seeking the assistance of the prominent traditional ruler to order their chief, Nana Opoku Kyei II to cover-up the death trap illegal small scale mining pit.
The death trap mining pit, they noted were dug by the chief in direct order by the Executive Director of President of Ghana, Nana Bediatuo Asante who brought some Chinese nationals to Danso to intent to engage in mining activities without their approval.
They indicated that the residents raised against the bilateral decision taken by Nana Bediatuo Asante with the support of their chief to bring Chinese nationals to mine in the area without their consent and approval.
They pointed out their several complains and appeals they had made to Nana Opoku Kyei II to order for the cover up of the galamsey pit have yielded no positive result.
They disclosed that the 15 feet uncovered mining pit in Danso has been killing innocent people, particularly children in the area.
They indicated that when the leadership of the mining company and officials of the Minerals Commission visited the community, one of the residents fell into the uncovered mining pit and dried.
They said after the death of the person in the following week the chief together with Chinese Nationals including some delegation from the office of the President performed the funeral rites of the deceased.
After the burial of the victim, the chief with support of chief built two bed rooms house including kitchen and toilet and bath around the river Dannso.
"We want the overlord Asantehene to ensure that he comes to their aid to ask the chief to cover up the killer mining pit in our community because the uncovered mining pit is killing our people," they appealed to Otumfuo II.
They stressed that "We are saying that the chief with the help of the leadership of the company has dug the killer mining pit in 2022 to prospect gold resources although they didn't acquired any environment permit."
Dannso is a village with approximately 700 inhabitants, located in Bosome Freho District in the Ashanti Region, approximately 30 kilometres away from Kumasi, the region's capital. The main source of income for the villagers is small scale agriculture.
Residents of Danso in the Bosome Freho District of the Ashanti Region are peeved with the illegal mining activities in the area.
The residents are demanding an immediate end to the menace that is negatively impacting their livelihoods.
Speaking to JoyNews, the residents complained about the destruction of their forest by galamsey and its effect on the environment and promised to resist it.
“Some people are taking the law into their own hands and decided to destroy the forest which will benefit the country in the near future.
“We are not going to let that happen here. We stood against it some time ago but the issue went to sleep. They have now returned to destroy the crops again.”
Some cocoa farmers who spoke to Soireenews.com lamented on the destruction of water bodies used for irrigation purposes.
They noted that there has been a decline in their harvest as a result of the destruction of their farmlands caused by illegal mining activities and forecasted famine in the near future.
“We are going to face hunger soon. We plead with President Akufo-Addo to come to the aid of the people of Danso because we are indeed suffering.
“Our only source of drinking water is being destroyed. They have destroyed all our crops,” they said.
They pleaded with the Asantehene to help them destool the Chief of Danso, who they blamed for continued activities of illegal mining in the district.
