The Paramount Chief of Twifo Atti-Morkwa in the Central Region, his linguist, and two others have been hit with yet another lawsuit for their alleged involvement in illegal mining.

Nine licensed small-scale mining companies are accusing the Omanhene, Oseadeayo Kwasi Kenin IV, Okyeame Yaw Asamoah, Ernest Ahorlu, and a Chinese national of illegally mining at least 90 percent of their 120-acre mining concession, located in the Twifo Atti-Morkwa District of the Central Region.

This is the second time in one month that they have been dragged before the Kumasi High Court for their alleged involvement in illegal mining.

The small-scale mining companies suing the Omanhene and others include God Made Mining Enterprise, Great Shepherd Mining Enterprise, Better Shepherd Mining Enterprise, and Servant Mining Enterprise. Others are Jordan Mining Enterprise, Follow the Shepherd Mining Enterprise, Oana Mining Enterprise, and Truly Shepherd Mining Enterprise.

According to court documents seen by JoyNews, between 2019 and 2023, the plaintiffs applied for a small-scale mining license from the Minerals Commission for a 120-acre mining lease.

The Minerals Commission, in consultation with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, approved the plaintiffs' application for a Small-Scale Mining License after all statutory requirements and conditions were satisfied.

While the companies awaited the signing of the Mining License by the Minister of Lands, the defendants allegedly entered the concession illegally and secretly began mining.

The plaintiffs claim that the defendants' actions amount to the theft of minerals and are demanding 90 million Ghana cedis in damages, representing the quantity of gold mined from the plaintiffs' concessions based on geological intelligence and physical site inspections.

They are also seeking general damages of 20 million Ghana cedis against the defendants, an order directing the defendants to undertake environmental reclamation of the mined area, and a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, or anyone from interfering with the plaintiffs' mining concessions.

This writ comes as the court deliberates over its jurisdiction in a similar case filed in Kumasi against Oseadeayo Kwasi Kenin IV and three others by officials of Kadesh Mining, a licensed small-scale mining firm.

When the case was called for hearing on Wednesday at the Commercial Division of the Kumasi High Court, the presiding judge, His Lordship Samuel Faraday Johnson, stated that he would decide the fate of the new writ once he ruled on the forum of convenience application filed by the Omanhene on October 28, 2024.