Sankofaradio.com/Matthew O.A. Dadzie And filsconnews. com In Trouble For Publishing Libelous Stories Against Okoben Mining CEO

The Chief Executive Officer of Okoben Mining Company, Nana Okoben Amponsah has broken silence by calling on the management and editors of Sankofaradio.com/Matthew O. A. Dadzie, filsconnews. com and other media houses to retract and tender an unqualified apology to him for publishing lies and libelous stories against him.

This was after the two online news portals (Sankofaradio. com and filsconnews.com) including other media houses had published that police officers from the Takoradi Central Police Command have arrested Nana Okoben Amponsah over his engagement in illegal small-scale mining otherwise called galamsey in the Nzema East municipality and Prestea enclave which have polluted River Akonbra and other water bodies.

In that report, the media houses noted that 
Nana was arrested on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at a programme organiser by Western Regional Health Directorate of Ghana Health Service (GHS) in Takoradi.

The police intelligence picked the information that the suspect, Nana Amponsah, who is on their wanted lists is at Akroma Plaza in Takoradi where Ghana Health Service was organizing their annual performance review meeting.

Accordingly, the police acted on the intelligence and deployed their men to the venue, and they arrested the suspect and detained him at Takoradi Central Police Station.

The media houses noted that Nana Okobeng Amponsah who is a household name in the Western region, particularly the Wassa enclave, has been accused of engaging in galamsey, destroying water bodies and degrading the land.

He has also been accused of threatening and assaulting farmers and other commuters, sometimes injuring some of them around his mining areas in Gwira Tumentu, Abruodiem among others sites.

Okobeng Mining Limited, according to information, has been on the police wanted lists for some time now without recourse to his whereabouts.

The Nzema East municipality through to Prestea has been suffering from galamsey menace, leaving the water bodies polluted and the land destroyed.

The Chiefs and people of Gwira Traditional Council in the Nzema East Municipality at a press conference in Accra early this year, petitioned the Mineral Commission, including the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Police and other regulatory bodies to withdraw the license granted to Okobeng Mining Company Limited with immediate effect.

In that report, the media noted that 
They alleged that Okobeng Mining Company Limited, within the past six years, had engaged in illegal small-scale mining in the area.

They also challenged the suspect to produce the documents he claimed were granted to him, including Mining lease, EPA permit, Digging permit, Municipal operating permit and water permit before he continues his operations. And he has since failed to do so.

According to them, the illegal activities of Okobeng Mine have destroyed Cocoa farms and other farm produce, including the pollution of the Ankobra River, the main source of drinking water for the people.

The Chiefs reported how Okoben has been intimidating them with armed land guards and other offensive weapons.

But in a quick response, Nana Okoben Amponsah denied that he is engaged in illegal mining activities which had polluted River Akonbra and other water bodies.

He pointed that the allegations leveled against him that he has been intimidating the residents with armed land guards and other offensive weapons were cooked by these detractors to soil his hard won reputation.

Nana Okoben Amponsah also responded to the current speculation which has gone on viral local and social media platforms that he was arrested by the police for involving in illegal mining activities.

He stressed that "l want to tell the general public that l am not into illegal mining activities (galamsey operations). I have a large scale mining company which is called Okoben Mining Company Limited and l have been mining in the Western Region for past 25 years now and that l respect water bodies and environment."

"I would also like to stress that I was not arrested for engaging in illegal mining activities, as reported by the gutter press.

"Our mining operations have not resulted in environmental degradation and the allegations leveled against the company by chiefs and youths were fabricated libelous stories.

"I dare anyone who knows the concession to go and verify how my business conducts responsible gold mining activities and whether or not its mining activities are destroying water bodies, as my detractors say," he mentioned.

He mentioned that he obtained various licenses from the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency to mine gold at Dominase, and the company works in accordance with the Minerals and Mining Act of 2006. (Act 703.)

"I would like to say that the unlawful small scale miners who are indiscriminately mining gold resources from communities such as Bamiankor, Ayinase, Amgbasea, Akango, Dualle, and Akosono in the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Municipality are polluting the Akonbra River and other water bodies," he noted

He stressed that "I'm saying that the residents of these areas can attest that my company's activities do not add to the pollution of the Akonbra River and other nearby streams and rivers."

Nana Okobeng’s denials were contained in a press statement he issued on April1, 2023.