Residents of Sika Ne Asem and its adjoining communities in the Gwira Traditional Area of the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Municipality in the Western Region have called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare and the National Security Minister, Mr. Albert Kan Dapaah to, immediately come to their rescue since they are currently living in absolutely fear, panic and insecurity in their ancestor home.
The affected residents living in Sika Ne Asem who are predominantly farmers and small-scale miner lamented that the beatings and attacks meted to their lives and properties by these gun-wielding manchomen from Gwira Banso are so pervasive to the extent that they are living in their ancestor home as if they are slaves, forcing many of the residents who feared for their lives to run away from the area.
This life-threatening phenomenon, according to the visibly worried residents follow the current illegal invasion of Sika Ne Asem community by manchomen from Banso in the Gwira Traditional Area of the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Municipality.
Mincing no words, the affected residents, mostly farmers accused the Chief of Banso in the Gwira Traditional Area, Nana Ette Akrade II for allegedly being the brain behind of the illegal invasion of marauding macho-men of Sika Ne Asem, recalling that somewhere last year Nana Ette Akrade II himself has led these same manchomen to storm the Sika Ne Asem with brute force to stop on the land in the area workers who nursing cocoa seedlings for the government Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ).
He flatly denied this allegation.
This notwithstanding, the residents noted that couple of days ago, these manchomen stormed Sika Ne Asem and told them boldly that they were sent by Nana Ette Akrade to seize the chanfangs, other mining equipment and farming lands from the cocoa growing farmers.
They pointed out that the macho-men stop the small-scale miners, ostensibly to get these lands to be given to the foreign illegal small-scale miners who are from China, Niger and Mali to mine gold in Sika Ne Asem and share bounties with their paymasters. In a fact-finding mission to Sika Ne Asem on Saturday February 25, 2023, the famers and small-scale miners detailed how they were severely beating, attacked, harassed, terrorized, intimidated and manhandled by these gun-wielding macho-men without committing any criminal offense.
The residents told the journalists that the macho-men were sent to Sika Ne Asem to extort monies, seize the chanfangs, other mining equipment from the residents who were engaging in the small-scale mining activities.
The residents added that these macho-men also used their powers to visit mayhem on the farmers by way of seizing their pumping and spraying machines and other farm items usually used by the cocoa growing farmers.
According to them, these manchomen also seized the cocoa beans from the cocoa farmers who can’t afford to pay the money they demanded from them.
The manchomen, the residents alleged had taken way the farming lands from the farmers and give to dole out to foreigner illegal small-scale miners who are China, Niger and Mail to mine and share bounties with their pay masters.
These pieces documentary evidence and grievances from the farmers and residents were corroborated with the Tufuhene of Gwira Sika Ne Asem, Nana Tapoli who spoke to the journalists when they visited the area on Saturday February 25, 2023 to authenticate the reports.
The chief disclosed to the journalists that they had information that these macho-men were hired by Chief of Banso, Nana Ette Akrade II to protect his private security for him during his installation as the chief of Gwira Banso.
He maintained that after the thugs protected him to be installed the chief has asked them to stay in the town to continue to protect security for him and guide his landed properties.
These macho-men, the Tufuhene of Sika Ne Asem were also used as the money colleectors for the chief from the strangers and residents who are engaging in all sorts of commercial activities including mining activities or other farming activities on Gwira Banso lands.
The macho-men also go to bushes to extort from those who are doing mining activities on his lands,” Tufuhene of Sika Ne Asem disclosed.
Tufuhene tendered documentary evidence to support his claims that indeed the hired macho-men had invaded his Sika Ne Asem community without his consent and knowledge.
According to the chief, it is evidently clear that a couple of days ago the huge number of macho-men have invaded his community and claimed that they were sent by the Banso Chief to allegedly stop the mining activities for which the youth obliged.
Few days after sending the manchomen from Gwira Banso to stop the activities of the small-scale miners in Sika Ne Asem, the Tufuhene pointed that to their surprise Nana Ette Akrade II managed to allow some illegal small-scale miners to go and work on the water bodies in Sika Ne Asem and he sent the manchomen to the site to extort GH 500,000.00 from miners.
Tufuhene who is very passionate about the truth noted that they had credible information that from the miners that the macho-men charged them [illegal small-scale miners] of an amount of GH¢ 100, 0000 but the galamseyers managed to pay GH¢ 50,000 as part payment.
“However, after collecting such money from the miners on their land, the youths and residents in Sika Ne Asem community were expected that part of the money being corrected from the miners who worked at the water bodies would be given to traditional authorities of Sika Ne Asem to do some developmental projects since they also need money to renovate their deplorable state of their school,” Tufuhene narrated.
He pointed that “So when it happens in that the way the youths and residents in Sika Ne Asem thought otherwise that they would not sit down for the chief of Banso and his manchomen to allow some people to engage in small scale mining activities on their lands (Sika Ne Asem) but they would stop them from engaging same activities.
The Tufuhene pointed that this has informed the decision of the youths/residents in Sika Ne Asem to also to go back to their land and start to engage in the mining activities to take good care of themselves.
Following this development, the chief noted that when the manchomen of the Banso chief got wind of the information that the youths in Sika Ne Asem started mining activities, they stormed the area and forcedly demanded money from the miners/youths.
He said the youths resisted that they would not pay such money to the macho-men from Gwira Banso since they are not using the money to carry social and infrastructure intervention projects and programmes in Sika Ne Asem.
“Our youths told these macho-men that if it is necessary that they have to pay any tax to the Macho-men from Gwira Banso then it is necessary for them to rather pay such money to the traditional authorities of Sika Ne Asem, because they also need money to renovate their school building because the school in the deplorable state,” the Tufuhene told journalists.
He indicated that the youths told the macho-men that if that may be the case that they would come from the Gwira Banso to exort monies from the mining activities from Sika Ne Asem community, then it is necessary for them to inform the DCE of the area about the issue.
He mentioned that when the residents/youths reported the matter to the DCE, she intervened in the matter but in the following day the macho-men came to the land again at Sika Ne Asem and started forcing the youths to take money as well as subjecting them to attacks and beatings.
They stated that for the past three days that the manchomen invaded the area seized chanfas and other mining items of the illegal small-scale miners who mined in the community for the past five years.
He pointed out that they had information that the manchomen have come to rent hotel in Sika Ne Asem to embark on extortion spree from the small-scale miners.
He said when they had information, they didn’t understand the mater and it was one medical doctor who officially called the MCE to draw her attention to the plan extortion spree that the manchomen wanted to embark on. Lamenting over the situation, the Tufuhene pointed that the anytime that macho-men stormed the area they were holding guns and other offensive ammunitions and machetes as if they are coming to war zone.
He said they didn’t even know where the manchomen have gotten these very expensive guns and offensive ammunitions from.
He pointed out that since there in fear in the actions of the marauding guns weirdly macho-men, they had no option than to report the matter to the Police District Commander at Prestea and the commander deployed the police to the area on Friday February 24, 2023 to forestall law and order.
He said that when the police officers were deployed to the area, the macho-men have vanished into thin air.
To this end, the Tufuhene stressed the need of the President Akufo-Addo to impress upon the IGP and National Security Minister to immediately deploy the military and police officers to the area to bring peace and order.
Reacting to the allegations in an interview with journalist on Sunday February 26, 2023, Nana Ette Akrade II admitted the sending some family members of the Banso Divisional Stool to protect their family cocoa farms on the lands at Sika Ne Asem.
He pointed out that he sent the members to the lands on Sika Ne Asem to prevent the farmers/residents who are engaging in the illegal small scale mining activities to destroy the cocoa farm trees on the family lands under the Banso Divisional Stool in Sika Ne Asem.
He denied the allegations that his boys are macho-men, saying that they are family members who were tasked to control and supervise the landed properties of the Banso Divisional Stool.
The chief explained that those who were stopped to step foot on the land at Sika Ne Asem are doing illegal mining activities on the land which are destroying farm lands and forest range reserves saying that he stopped because he protecting the land from destruction of illegal small scale mining activities.
He further denied allegation levelled against the boys of holding guns, extorting money terrorizing and beatings residents on the land at Sika Ne Asem, adding that they felt that their lives and properties were attacked why is it not they don’t report the incident to the police for those who are attacking them to be arrested.
He pointed out that anytime he directed his men to go on the lands in Sika Nee Asem, he warned them not to even carry cutlass, described the story as lies and false, saying that he is a law-abiding citizen of Ghana and an active service military officer who would be the last person to do something which would disturb peace and unity in the country.
He challenged those who made allegations of his members extorting monies from miners, terrorizing and beatings residents of Sika Ne Asem should provide the documentary evidence in the public to prove their claims.
