By Alex Boye
Four (4) farmers are languishing in Police Cell at Terchire in the Tano North District in the Ahafo region, for allegedly protesting against Newmont Ghana-a giant mining company’s attacks on farmers in the community.
The four Silas Adjei Mensah, Beatrice Mensah, John Mensah and Paul Yaw Asare, who are also members of the Concerned Farmers Association of Terchire, Adrobaa, Susuanso and Afrisipakrom were arrested Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 12:30 pm, and are still in cell against their right to be arraigned within 48 hours.
Consequently, the Association, in a statement is accusing Newmont Ghana of using the Tano North district police to intimidate and harass the arrested farmers who were only exercising their constitutional right of owning and protecting their properties.
The statement said the farmers were on their way to their farms when they noticed that a farm belonging to the Chairman of the Association, John Mensah, was being destroyed by assigns of Newmont.
“In the act of protecting Mr. Mensah’s farm from destruction, the farmers were arrested on the farm by the Tano North District Police,” the statement disclosed.
According to the statement, before the arrest of the 4, three (3) other farmers, Yaw Adu, John Mensah, and Emmanuel Kwame Marfo had been arrested in a similar manner by the same Tano North district police.
However, the latest arrest of the four farmers, the statement pointed out, was based on a complaint lodged by Newmont, that alleged that the farmers had trespassed on to its concession and destroyed its property.
The statement expatiated that Yaw Adu, John Mensah and Emmanuel Kwame Marfo were arraigned before the Circuit Court in Duayaw Nkwanta on Monday, September 4, 2023. “The Court admitted the farmers to bail pending the final determination of the trial,” it said.
The Association alleged that between July, August and September 2023, Newmont has ‘unlawfully’ been entering onto the lands of farmers, and destroying farmers farm produce without their consent or “negotiating payment of compensation for their farm properties.”
“The destroyed properties comprise teak trees, cocoa farms, palm trees and food crops which belonged to John Mensah, Beatrice Mensah, Yaw Pau Asare, Abraham Amo, Silas Adjei Mensah, Gabriel Kofi Nelson, Abubakar Sadick and Emmanuel Kwame Marfo. These farms serve as the main source of livelihood for these farmers,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the affected farmers through their lawyers, the Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL), have formally written to Newmont to stop the unlawful destruction of properties of their clients (farmers).
But unfortunately, the statement said the mining company has disregarded the notice and was rather using the Tano North district Police to ‘intimidate and harass’ the farmers when they exercised their constitutional right to own and protect their properties from destruction by Newmont.
“While the farmers and Newmont are aware that the government has started a process towards compulsorily acquiring some of the lands belonging to some members of the Concerned Farmers Association for mining, no such lands as we write, have been compulsorily acquired yet for Newmont’s mining operations in accordance with law.
The destruction of these farms by Newmont would leave no evidence of farm properties for the farmers to demand compensation from government or the lands Commission in the compulsory acquisition process of their land,” the statement lamented.
