The governing New Patriotic Party(NPP) Constituency Chairman for Ellembele, Samson Ndoli has accused the District Chief Executive for the area, Kwasi Bonzoh of collecting GHC70,000 bribe to facilitate illegal mining in the area.
In an interview, he accused the DCE of taking the said amount from some illegal miners who had been arrested and allowed them back to the mining site to continue with their further destruction of the land.
“The party held a meeting in our office which was attended by the DCE where we agreed that illegal miners in our area are destroying our water bodies and so we need to arrest them. We undertook the operation to arrest them led by the DCE during which 7 excavators were seized and five persons arrested. Three days after their arrested, we were informed that they’ve been released after the DCE held a meeting with them where he collected GHC70,000 allowing their machines to go back to the site. We were not happy with that news and so we went to the site the following day where we took videos. We realized that the illegal miners had gone further in the destruction of the land.”
He continued: “We then went to inform the District Police Commander that those who were arrested have gone back to the site. We moved to the scene with the Police and the media where we saw them working. Many of them escaped but three were arrested, we seized their equipment and fuel and took them to the police station. In the evening, the DCE’s aide came and bailed out the suspects. One of the DCE’s boys told us that if we arrest the miners ten times, they will be released ten times because the DCE is the Chairman of the DISEC. After the media publication, the DCE decided to cover up, he teamed with the galamseyers to do a press conference. What we find unfortunate is that even if you the DCE will release them to go back to the site, he needed to inform us (Executives) because we took the decision together. The DCE should have even commended us for arresting the suspects but he rather called the Secretary and asked him what locus he had to lead police officers to go to a mining site.”
He added: The party birthed the government. So if the government introduces a policy, the party must stand firmly and back that policy.”
In September 2022, Police arrested the DCE, Kwasi Bonzo days after his personal assistant, and one other person were placed under police investigation for the disappearance of two mining excavators in the district.
The arrest ensued when the DCE caught wind that the police had recovered an excavator similar to what had been reported missing. He moved in to supposedly identify the earthmoving equipment in the early hours of the day.
Reports indicate that the DCE was ignored when he came in to try and verify the machines’ ownership. He then followed up to Ayisakrom in the district where he was said to have confronted the security officials resulting in a scuffle.
He was arrested and transported to the headquarters in Sekondi.
NPP Constituency Chairman of Elembele Constituency exposes the DCE for the area, Kwasi Bonzo for collecting bribes to facilitate illegal mining in the area. pic.twitter.com/MIGOjZ61D0
— Sammy Gyamfi (@SammyGyamfi_) October 7, 2022