The youth of Akyem Abekoase have burnt down the operating machines of Dankwa Investment, small scale mining firm in the Atiwa District of Ghana.
The machines costing about $1.5million consisting of one LIEBHERR excavator, two Concentrators, power generating plants, generators, tanks of fuel etc have all been burnt beyond use.
Speaking to the media about the incident, Mr. Patrick Adjei-Dankwa, Chief Executive Officer of the company said due to the directives of the minister of lands and forestry, they have stopped operations for over three weeks even though they are a licensed small scale mining firm which has all legal documentations backing his operations.
It therefore beats his imagination that the youth will do that to his machines.
According to Mr. Adjei-Dankwa, even before the company started operations at the place after acquiring all legal documentations, they met with the community for them to decide what they want the company to do for them as part of the company’s cooperate social responsibility.
”The people demanded a palace which I am building for them, I have also dug 3 boreholes for the community” he said.
“Even for the building of the palace, the people said they will use communal labour to build it but anytime they meet, I give money for it and i have given them about GhC50,000.00 just for that.” He added.
Mr. Adjei-Dankwa is therefore calling on the people of Abekoase to buy his machines for him or ”they will hear from me in a different way”. He then accused the Chiefs of the town for instigating the raid on his company.
Responding to the accusations, Nana Osei Baah, Kurontihene of Abekoase said Nananom had no idea of the actions of the youth.
He said the youth has stopped involving Nananom in their plannings since ”they say, we always stop them from taking actions against the company”.
The Kurontihene added that the actions of the youth was done publicly in broad day light and added that they (chiefs) have challenged the security agencies in the region to conduct their investigations, apprehend the perpetrators of the act and prosecute them.
When asked what could have propelled the actions of the youth, Korontihene said his investigation proved that the youth took that actions based on the assumption that the company is engaging in ‘Galamsey’ and has been stopped by the minister.
“But even if they are engaging in Galamsey, you report to the police, you don’t take personal actions and destroy somebody’s properties. Truth is the soil on the machines had all dried up proving that the machines were not in operation, it is therefore mind boggling that the youth took that action.” He said.
“We call on the security companies to act fast and deal with the issues” he added
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