A group calling itself Leaders of Gbane For Peace & Development(LGPD), a coalition of Pressure Groups within the Talensi District in the Upper East Region, have locked horns with the Regional Police Command over the latter’s attempt to trump the group’s intended demonstration against Shaanxi, for wrongful occupation of private farmlands and dangerous mining activities.
Shaanxi Mining Ghana Limited (SMGL) is a Chinese Mine Support Service Company which has 93% interest in a small scale mining concession in the Upper East. Shaanxi has also been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons including tax evasion, irregularities and bad mining practices which has resulted in the deaths of some 35 Ghanaians since they started operations in 2009. In fact last year alone 23 miners died in three different mining accidents.
It is against this back drop that the leaders of the Coalition Pressure Group led by its Secretary, Tii-roug Zumah Yaro, wrote officially to the Regional Police Command, to request protection and guidelines for the group’s planned 30-day picketing at Shaanxi’s precinct to register their displeasure about the goings-on and the sector Ministry’s loud silence on the Chinese’ bad mining activities.
But, in a quick response, the police warned the group against picketing at Shaanxi’s precinct. It replied the group’s letter and wrongly addressed it to a different entity and subsequently released it to the press for immediate publication as was captured by Citinewsonline titled; Police warn group over demo against Shaanxi mining firm.
Citi News report also indicated that the Regional Police Commander “DCOP Ampofo-Duku declared the intended demonstration as illegal and cautioned that, the police shall deal drastically with anybody or group that violates the peace at Gbane.” The Police however, indicated that it can allow for at least one day.
Meanwhile, Mr. Zumah Yaro has reacted in disappointment saying that as of the time of that media publication “The LGPD had not received any correspondence from the Upper East Regional Police Commander indicating to us any anomaly in our notice as stated in the press release purportedly issued to the media by the Upper East Regional Police Command. This is misleading and intimidating to our cause of following due process to protest against wrongful occupancy of our farmlands and dangerous mining in the Gbane Traditional Area.”
He continued: “In view of these mishaps, for all intents and purposes, it turned out that the purported press release was actually coming from the Upper East Regional Police Command and it was referred to our group, therefore as law-abiding citizens, we are hereby notifying the Upper East Regional Police Command and the Talensi District Police Command of our intention to now picket for one week so far as the purported press release is pointing at the month-long picketing originally scheduled by our group as illegal.
The new date scheduled for the picketing is from January 10 to January 17, 2020. We respectfully request that if the Public Order Law considers our week-long schedule as illegal, then, you kindly draw our attention so we can amend our schedule. “
