Okoben Mines Not Engaged In Illegal Mining Activities –Allodial Owners of Gwira Lands Clear The Air, As They Drag Henry Acquah And His Followers To Minerals Commission
They, therefore, cleared the air that the wholly owned Ghanaian gold company has not been banned from operating in its gold mining activities from its legally acquired mining concession in Gwira Dominase as being falsely claimed by some traditional rulers [chiefs] who were led by Henry Acquah a.ka Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan.
Freeman Koryekpor 
THE ALLODIAL owners of Bamiakor Royal Stool Lands and accredited elders, traditional office holders and principal kingmakers of Gwira Traditional Area in the Nzema East Municipality of the Western Region have jumped to the defence of Okoben Mining Company Limited, explaining in details that the gold firm is not engaged in illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.
They, therefore, cleared the air that the wholly owned Ghanaian gold company has not been banned from operating in its gold mining activities from its legally acquired mining concession in Gwira Dominase as being falsely claimed by some traditional rulers [chiefs] who were led by Henry Acquah a.ka Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan.
They further rubbished the news item being published by Henry Acquah and his followers which went viral in social media platforms to the effect that the Okoben Mining Company Limited, which belonged to Nana Okoben Amponsah, apparently, has been carrying out mining activities without authorization or approval from the regulator, to engage in any such operations.
The Okoben Mining Company Limited owned by the famous Ghanaian entrepreneur has been in the news for which some chiefs from Gwira led by an imposter chief, Mr Henry Acquah a.k.a Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan who is currently parading himself as the Paramount Chief of Gwira for mining in its gold mining concession at Gwira Dominase which activities had polluted River Akonbra in the Western Region.
But in a five page petition dated Tuesday 19, 2023 to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Minerals Commission, Mr Martin Kwaku Ayis which endorsed and signed by the allodial owners of the Bamiakor Royal Stool Lands in the Gwira led Paramount Queen-Mother of Bamiakor, Nana Adwoa Affiah stressed that the reputable gold mining company has not been involved in any wrongdoing.
"We are saying that all what Angama Tu-Agyan and followers are saying that the owner of Okobeng Mining Company and his cohorts had allegedly been carrying out activities which had security implications with the potential of degenerating into a full-scale crisis are all lies, cooked and fabricated stories being peddled by these individuals to tarnish the image of Nana Okoben Amposah who had been our only investor on our land who has been supporting financially," the elders and kingmakers stressed.
“We, the allodial owners of the Bamiakor Royal Stool Lands and accredited elders and principal kingmakers of Gwira Traditional Area want to assure you all that the Okoben Mining Company Limited is not engaged in any form of illegal mining anywhere in Ghana as we speak,” the petition insisted.
They stated in the petition that Nana Okoben Amponsah and his company were committed to paying royalists to the traditional authorities in Gwira Traditional Area including the custodial owners of the lands of where its concession is located in the municipality.
"When we heard that some chiefs led by Henry Acquah a.k.a Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan came to Accra again to peddle that the gold mining activities of Nana Okoben Amponsah's company has destroyed River Ankobra and also failed to honour its agreement to pay royalties to the stool, these allegations came to me as a surprise.
The petition called on the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Martin Kwaku Ayisi, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP government that the evil plots being hatched by these chefs to the effect of accusing the company of engaging in illegal mining activities which they claim had polluted River Ankobra, streams and other river bodies on its gold concession at Dominase is a complete mischievous and one-sided vicious trial by the media," the petition stressed.
In view of above, the petition indicated that the attacks on the Nana Okoben Amponsah and his company has affected his psychological wellbeing.
Below is the petition
GROSS MISCONDUCTS AND DISTURBANCES WITHIN BAMIAKOR IN GWIRA TRADITIONAL AREA BY ONE HENRY ACQUAH A.K.A
AWULAE ANGAMA TU-AGYAN AND HIS FOLLOWERS.
The allodial owners of the Bamiakor Royal Stool Land and accredited elders and kingmakers of the Gwira Traditional Area in the Western Region would like to write to officially draw the attention of your notable and respectful offices concerning the gross or incessant misconducts and disturbances by some chiefs led by one Henry Acquah a.ka Awulae Angama
TuAgyan who is currently parading himself as the Paramount Chief of Gwira Traditional Area.
In order to set the record straight on the matter, we the allodial owners of the Bamiakor Royal Stool Land and accredited elders and kingmakers of the Gwira Traditional Area by this letter wish to also draw your attention to the fact that the Gwira Traditional Area has no paramount chief.
However, we the allodial owners of the Bamiakor Royal Paramount Stool are preparing to traditionally, customarily and lawfully install the legitimate royal person to ascend the black throne in the area.
In this regard, we want to officially inform your offices to be mindfulthat Henry Acquah a.k.a
Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan who is parading himself as the paramount of the Gwira Traditional Area is not and he should not be accorded that chieftaincy respect.
The legally and traditionally installed office holders in the persons of Adotenhene of Tumentu in Gwira, Nana Kpole Antoanah V, Paramount Queen-mother of Gwira, Nana Adwoa Affiah, Principal Head of Amanrakpanyim Family of Gwria, Nana Alumenza lll and Tufuhene of Assuawuah in Gwira Traditional Area, Nana Addae Blay V have not recognized Henry Acquah as the paramount chief of the area.
We are saying the embattled Henry Acquah is an imposter, Confusionist, troublemaker and
nation wrecker.
Our attention hasbeendrawn to the current secret move by Henry Acquah lead adelegation of some traditional office holders from Gwira on August 31, 2023 to visit the office of the Minerals Commission in Accra.
We were informed that to your respectful offices to lodge unsubstantial complains against the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Okoben Mining Company Limited Nana Okoben Amponsah, who is our only investor and philanthropist who has legally acquired gold mining concession in Gwira Dominase to mine gold resources.
We want to state that Henry Acquah hasn't been recognized by them as the legitimate chief in the area and and all the issues they brought to your offices should not be treated as serious since it was an old age calculated attempts to defame Nana Okoben and his gold mining company.
Following this development, we are resisting that all the cooked statements Henry Acquah and followers brought to your offices on August 31, 2023 against Nana Okoben Amponsah and his mining company should not be given attention.
This is pieces evidence available to them in the area clearly shows that Okoben Mining Company Limited is responsible gold mining company which has been mining gold for many years on its concession at Dominase in Gwira without violating Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 Act 703.
This importer chief [Henry Acquah] and his followers who had continued to come to the
commission to lodge these unsubstantial complains against the only developmental oriented and hardworking investor and philanthropist on our lands has used fraudulent means to install himself as the paramount chief of the area with fake stool name, Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan II.
To your information, the so-called paramount, Henry Acquah has never entered the Bamiakor Royal Paramount Black Stool room before in his life since he manages to illegal, unlawfully
install himself as the paramount chief in the area.
Interestingly, Henry Acquah has not even sat on the Black Stool before so why is it that he is still parading himself as the paramount Chief of Gwira Traditional Area and that his actions are inactions has created unnecessary tension and confusion in the area.
However, we are saying that it is a high time for the national security and peace keeping
stakeholders in the country to call Henry Acquah and his followers to order since his actions are likely to be greeted with the bloody clash.
One interesting thing that we want to draw your attention to is that Henry Acquah also managed to secure his gazette through dubious ways from the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi, but he has been seriously challenged in the court by the allodial owners of Bamiakor Royal Stool in Gwira which the case is currently pending in the court.
Henry Acquah has not even sworn the oath of allegiance to the chiefs in the area and that on
which capacity he is still parading himself as the paramount chief in the area, thereby arrogating power to himself to lead some unaccredited individuals to come to Accra to lodge complain by way of peddling lies against Nana Okoben who has not committed any crime in his mining activities since he is legally acquired his concession at Gwira Dominase.
We have to entreat the CEO and top managers of the Commission to thoroughly conduct their independent investigations on the background of the socalled paramount chief and see the kind of person coming to their offices to lodge unnecessary complaints against Nana Okoben.
We would like to state that we, the allodial owners and elders of the Bamiakor Paramount Royal Stool lands are not happy about trend of event of the gross attacks and harassments meted out to Nana Okoben Amposah by Henry Acquah including the police officers and the politicians of the ruling NPP government.
Our investigations have revealed that these Henry Acquah's agents were attacking the integrity of Nana Okoben Amposah because they wanted to take his legally acquired gold mining concession at Dominase from him and give out to the foreign illegal miners /Chinese illegal miners so that they shared the profits with these illegal miners.
We would to draw attention to your offices the Confucianist’s Henry Acquah and his followers are attacking the integrity of the investor on our land because Nana Okoben's wife, Madams Joy Jocelyn Andoh has contested Mr George Mireku Duker in 2020 general elections in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Constituency.
There are lots of organizations and individuals, including the foreign nationals who are
indiscriminately illegally mining on the lands of the Gwira Traditional Area without proper
environmental permits from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and mining licenses
from the Minerals Commission because they have the backing from the top New Patriotic Party (NPP) government appointees in the region.
However, when these unscrupulous illegal miners destroyed the water bodies through their illegal mining activities, these politicians including the Western Regional Minister, Mr George Duker and the selfstyled traditional rulers led by Henry Acquah would turned back to blame the investor that his mining activities have polluted the water bodies.
What is very irritating is that for some years now, Nana Okobenis currently not mining actively on his legally and genuinely acquired gold mining concession at Gwira Dominase because the Western Regional Minister Kwabena Okyere DarkoMensah and George Mireku Duker who doubles as the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources had been in the league with these imposter chiefs and individuals to use police officers to visit mayhem at the investor on his concession.
They have been exhibiting these diabolical moves to ostensibly kick out Nana Okoben Amposah out of the land to have their ways out but they had failed to implement their evil plot against the investor who was very instrumental of helping the people in the area.
We would to inform your offices that the Ghanaian business mogul, Nana Okoben Amponsah has been complying the conditions and terms in the contractual agreement he signed with the government and traditional authorities of the Gwira Traditional Area and his mining activities have not violated the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 Act 703.
Nana Okoben Amponsah and his gold company were committed to providing jobs, paying taxes and royalties, sourcing with local businesses, investing in community programmes and infrastructure.
He is even being the only investor on their who has rushed to their rescue to donate bags or rice [relief items] to them when they were displayed by the recent flooding water in the wake of the recent heavy downpour which makes the River Ankobra overflows its bank.
Nana Okoben Amponsah was also committed to strong and good corporate governance,
multistakeholder engagement, and transparency around payments to local and central governments in order to increase accountability, develop trust, create mutual value and reduce
corruption.
Per their records, Nana Okoben Amponsah has supported essential government services and programmes, and raised the standard of the people in its host communities within the Gwira Traditional Area.
Nana Okoben Amponsah and his company were committed to paying royalists to the traditional authorities in Gwira Traditional Area including the custodial owners of the lands of where its concession is located in the municipality. When we heard that some chiefs came to Accra to say that Nana Okoben Amponsah's company has destroyed river Ankobra and also failed to honour its agreement to pay royalties to the stool, these allegations came to usas a surprise.
We are calling on the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, President Nana
Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP government that the evil plots being hatched by these chefs to the effect of accusing the company of engaging in illegal mining activities which they claim had polluted River Ankobra, streams and other river bodies on its gold concession at
Dominase is a complete mischievous and one-sided vicious trial by the media.
In view of above, the attacks on the Nana Okoben Amponsah and his company have affected his psychological wellbeing.
And behalf of the accredited chiefs and people of Gwira Traditional Area, we would like to
reiterate our earlier call on President AkufoAddo and general public to disregard the claims by Henry Acquah and his followers, saying that the traditional authorities of Gwira have still recognized the Nana Okoben and we have not banned the company from mining on its gold mining concession at Dominase.
