I’m the complainant behind most galamsey cases in Ellembelle – DCE
Kwasi Bonzoh, the District Chief Executive of Ellembelle
Kwasi Bonzoh, the District Chief Executive of Ellembelle has said that his dedication to the fight against illegal mining has seen him gone up against illegal miners in court.
Read full article Bonzoh K as he is fondly called, said on Adom FM that he is the complainant in most of the illegal mining cases being prosecuted in the Ellembelle district.
He recounted instances where he testified in open court against illegal miners and emphasize his commitment to the fight.
Bonzoh K also noted that but for the drive and dedication of the Akufo-Addo government, the Ellembelle district would have been ravaged by illegal mining activities.
Whiles commending the president for the fight against galamsey, Bonzoh K reaffirmed his willingness to protect the resources.
“Let me commend the president. But for his intervention and commitment to fighting illegal mining, things would have been worse. There is gold in Ellembele but instead of going through due process they normally circumvent the process by seeing the families who are owners of the land. Because it’s illegal, you can’t regulate them.
“Nana Akufo-Addo’s fight is what has brought us some relief. There are about 18 operations and I’m the complainant for most of them. There are instances where I’ve testified in open court against galamseyers” he said.
Bonzoh K also called for a de-politicization of the fight against galamsey. He surmised that giving the fight a political colorization will prevent the government and agencies from identifying the real culprits behind the menace.
“Galamseyers are businessmen who take advantage of the political space. We should do this thing [fighting illegal mining] without the political colorization of the fight”.
“When you arrest one galamseyer, the number of calls that you will receive transcends political lines. The moment you politicize it, the real actors get away with it. We are doing the unborn generations a great disservice if we don’t win this fight. If we just look on for people to just destroy our environment, what will my children come to inherit?”
Bonzoh K has been charged with five counts of alleged obstruction over the controversial missing excavators saga.
The charges he will face are assault, conspiracy to assault, resisting arrest and two others.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is currently on a bail.
