By Patrick Biddah
The Governance Advocacy Group Ghana (GGAGG) which is a civil society organization dedicated to the fighting of illegal mining popular called galamsey, has called for the sacking of the Western regional Minister , Kwabena Otchere Darko Mensah.
They claim that the Minister’s continues occupancy of office as the Western Regional Minister, makes government’s fight against Galamsey a charade in the Western Region of Ghana.
Giving reasons for the call for his sacking at a press conference on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, the spokesperson for Good Governance Advocacy Group , Listowel Nana Poku, indicated that the Minister has not shown commitment to the fight against galamsey.
He recalled event involving the chief of Dompem Pepesa, Nana Nyowah Panin, whose effort at arresting some persons’ involved in galamsey, were thwarted allegedly by the Minister when he ordered for the release of those arrested.
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Recounting events forming the basis for the sack , he said On Monday, February 6, 2023, Nana Nyowah Panyin IV, went to report the incident to the Tarkwa Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service.
The police On Friday, February 10, 2023, he said went in and effected the arrest of five (5) Ghanaians and two (2) Chinese and sent them to the Tarkwa Regional Police Command.
On Sunday, February 12, 2023, a group of youth he indicated, came to the Palace of Nana Nyowah Panyin IV, to inform him that the same people the police arrested have come back to the site
Nana Nyowah Panyin IV, he further indicated followed up to the Tarkwa Regional Command where he earlier on went to lodge the complaint to know the outcome of the case.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, shockingly the police informed him that due to an older from above, they were compelled to let the suspects off the hook”, he revealed.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, it will shock you to know that upon further interrogation, the said order from above happened to have come from Kwabena Okyere-Darko Mensah, the Western Regional Minister”, he claimed.
In view of the above, he called on the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to without delay sack the Minister.
Describing them as a syndicate, Listowel Poku, said his group has done lots of investigation which points to some government officials perpetrating the menace.
In his submission, the Western Regional Minister’s intimidatory action, has become an impediment in the way of the Ghana Police Service in the Region as far as law enforcementand the protection of lives and properties are concerned.
He, therefore called on the IGP to investigate the issues leading to the freeing of suspects who should have been prosecuted on the orders of a regional minister.
“We encourage the Ghana Police Service NOT to feel intimidated by the actions and tendencies of an unscrupulous Regional Minister whose aim is to make money unlawfully ”, he stressed
