Chiefs in the Aowin Traditional Area of the Western North Region have stressed the need for the current government to stem the tide of blatant destruction of Aowin Forests Reserves.
“We need a collective effort from Government through the Forestry Commission, the media and the security services to stem the tide of blatant destruction of Aowin Forest Reserves,” the chiefs appealed.
The chiefs said this after they had accused the NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Aowin, Oscar Ofori Larbi, of allegedly engaging in illegal mining activities also called ‘galamsey’ in the Aowin forest reserve.
They indicated that the MP’s alleged activity is dragging the image of his party, the NDC, into disrepute.
Addressing a press conference at Enchi, Enoku Panyin III, Chief of Old Yakasi asserted that one Kwaku Ebo Dankwa popularly known as ‘KED’ has been fronting for Mr Ofori Larbi in the alleged galamsey business.
He said somewhere in the year 2020, the MP unlawfully entered into the concession of a mining company in the area, Crisphil Mining Company.
“The Enchi Palace wanted to settle the issue, particularly what happened between Mr Larbi and the security officers of the company but the MP refused to honour our invitation”, he told journalists.
Enoku Panyin III added that immediately after the NDC won the 2024 general elections, Mr Larbi formed a Galamsey squad which is led by KED.
He alleged that the modus operandi of the purported Galamsey squad has been to enter galamsey sites and seize excavators and other mining equipment.
He said the squad then charged a minimum of GHc100,000 before releasing the machine to the galamseyers to continue with their illegal mining activities.
He said the alleged squad had also been engaging in the robbery of some belongings of other galamseyers.
“These unscrupulous people will sometimes block the main road in Enchi and fire guns indiscriminately into the air for hours amidst chants of
‘Who say man no dey’!
‘You can imagine the fear, panic and insecurity these acts caused to residents of Enchi whilst the police looked on”.
He mentioned that Nananom engaged with the Western North Regional Executives of the NDC to call Mr Larbi to order but to no avail.
“Consequently, Nananom wrote to the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference on January, 20, 2025 to help appeal to the Government to stop Larbi and his gang from the illegal acts”, he added.
Meanwhile, the MP for Aowin , Oscar Ofori Larbi has reacted to the allegations, describing them as totally and completely false, baseless, malicious and deliberately calculated to injure his hard won reputation.
In a press statement, the MP noted that he has been a key advocate of sustainable development and environmental preservation.
He stated that Illegal mining is destructive to our natural resources and threatens the livelihoods and that he has no involvement, directly or indirectly, in any illegal mining activities.
” It is disheartening that some faceless people have made it their stock in trade to perpetrated these unfounded allegations against me, in spite of my stiff resistance to illegal mining”.
He said “My opposition to galamsey has always been real and unwavering, despite its adverse implications on my political fortunes”.
