Secretary to NPP’s Women's Organiser Kate Gyamfuah, whose mining equipment were destroyed on Sunday, says the Xtra Gold Mining Limited has not been involved in illegal mining activities.

Speaking on Top Story, Nana Asante said that they have been engaged in environmentally friendly activities since the inception of operations.

He also debunked claims that the company was mining close to a river body and the Atewa Forest despite prohibitions by the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry.

He stated that they have dug their own wells and made efforts to reclaim lands they have mined on to make room for plantations.

“So it's not like we are enclosed in one area and doing unscrupulous activities. I can tell you there is not even a single thing we are doing that is illegal. So there is nothing that shows that we are causing havoc to the environment. Even the pits, we refill," Mr Asante said.

His comment comes after the military task force, selected to clamp down on illegal mining, burnt some 20 excavators while working in Atiwa in the Eastern Region on Sunday, May 16.

Eight out of those excavators were said to belong to Madam Kate Gyamfuah. It was later revealed the equipment belong to the Canadian Mining company Xtra Gold Mining Limited where Madam Gyamfuah is the General Manager.

However, the company in a press release stated that 16 of its excavators and one bulldozer were destroyed.

Nana Asante told the host Evans Mensah that the actions of the military on their site are unfair, especially, since they have had the legal license to mine since 2006.

He expressed surprise at the actions of the military, revealing that the officers had visited the site about a week before the incident and raised no concerns but rather praised them for the manner in which they conducted their activities.

He said "there is no charge that they can use to stop us from mining, no charge. There is not even a single charge because whatever we are doing is in place with the law."

He stated that numerous government agencies including the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ghana Police on occasions visit the site to supervise their activities.

These agencies, he said, make sure they are engaged in activities that do not damage the environment.

“Something must be wrong somewhere because we have our documents which permits us to work. This is not galamsey or small-scale mining, it is a very big company.”

Meanwhile, Xtra Gold Mining Limited, in the press release, stated that the military’s actions are “a clear violation of the rule of law” as they did not follow the government’s directive only to destroy the equipment of illegal miners.

They have called for the military personnel in the anti-galamsey to be brought to order “for the good of Ghana and its citizens.”

The General Manager of the company, NPP Women’s Organiser, Kate Gyamfua, has hinted of seeking redress in court “if need be”.

She explained that the company had done all that was necessary to prevent such an incident from happening. Thus the destruction of the equipment come as a surprise to her and the rest of the management.