Ten people, including a chief and two minors, have been arraigned at the Koforidua High Court for allegedly mining without a licence at Akyem Gyadam, near Oda, in the Eastern Region.

The accused persons are the Gyaasehene of Gyadam, Nana Mireku Asare Bediako III, who faces additional charges of granting access to the illegal miners to carry out their illicit operations, as well as the two minors, namely Salim Moro and Samuel Appiah, both aged 17 years.

The rest are Shaibu Moro, George Boahen, Shaibu Moro, Bright Adjei, Emmanuel Anarfi, Samuel Amparbeng and Richmond Akomaning

They were arrested by the Akyem Oda Divisional Police Command for illegally mining at Akyem Gyadam, near Oda, in the Eastern Region.

The accused persons have all been granted bail and are to re-appear on July 31, this year. 

Briefing the Daily Graphic at Oda last Thursday, the Oda Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Jeffrey Darko, said, upon a tip-off, police personnel raided the outskirts of Gyadam where the suspects were mining for gold without a licence.

He said in the process, the police managed to arrest 10 of the miners, including the Gyaasehene of Gyadam, Nana Bediako III, a suspected illegal mining kingpin.

ACP Darko said the police also seized mining equipment such as seven pumping machines, gallons of diesel, and a quantity of pick axes and shovels.

He said that after interrogating the suspects, they were put before the court for trial. 

In a related development to crack the whip on illegal mining, the Western Central Regional Police Command also arrested two men for allegedly posing as members of the Ghana Gold Board Taskforce and using their false identities to extort money from unsuspecting gold dealers.

The suspects, Foster Delord, 40, and Prince Worvi, 38, were apprehended after the police received a tip-off that the pair were making rounds at gold buying shops, claiming to be government-sanctioned operatives.

According to the police, the suspects presented themselves as ex-military officers working with the Gold Board Taskforce.

During their arrest, law enforcement officers retrieved several incriminating items, including a pair of handcuffs, a canister of pepper spray, an electric shock device, a military-style uniform, and GH₵500, believed to have been obtained through extortion.

“The two suspects, Delord and Worvi, were arrested following a complaint received by the police that they were visiting different gold buyers claiming to be officials of the Gold Board Taskforce,” a statement issued by the police stated.

The suspects have since been arraigned before the Tarkwa Circuit Court and have been remanded into police custody to assist with further investigations.

The police have urged the public, especially those in the gold trading sector, to be vigilant and cautious when dealing with individuals claiming to represent state institutions.

“The Regional Police Command wishes to advise the public to be cautious of individuals claiming to be officials of government agencies without proper identification,” the statement warned.

It added that investigations were ongoing and assured the public of a commitment to clamping down on impersonation and extortion schemes within the mining sector.