CHRAJ petition on Regional Minister: Talensi DCE accosts teacher during school hours

The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Talensi, Thomas Wuni Duanab, has come under public backlash for accosting a teacher at the Bolgatanga Senior School (Big Boss) during school hours over a petition written to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).

Although the petition was written to CHRAJ by an anti-corruption civil society organisation called Development Research Advocacy Centre (DRAC), the DCE mounted a search for the teacher, Milton Aberinga, and trailed him to the school on Wednesday 18th January, 2023, because he signed the petition.

The petition went public on Monday 17th January, 2023, with details of some scandals said to have been uncovered on the Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, by investigative journalist Edward Adeti.

The Talensi DCE, who appears to have been having sleepless nights because he is mentioned in the petition among some individuals who are expected to appear before CHRAJ anytime soon for investigations, is said to have spoken on the school’s premises in a manner and a tone Aberinga considers threatening. Aberinga, who is DRAC’s Director of Programmes, said the DCE was accompanied by a man who said he was a secretary to the Paramount Chief of Talensi.

Speaking to Gaspard Adongo Ayuureneeya on Zuarungu-based Word FM on Friday, the DCE admitted that he traced Aberinga to the school but claimed he did not threaten the teacher.

It is gathered that the Upper East regional leadership of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) may withdraw all NAGRAT members from the Talensi, where the Bolgatanga Senior School is located, in solidarity with their member Aberinga.

“It is wrong for a DCE to go and confront a teacher in school. What kind of DCE is this? He should be seriously brought to book for this act. The Presidency should pay attention to what he did. It is completely wrong,” a resident of region, Joel Anafo, said.

“What the Talensi DCE did is a serious slap in the face of the entire Ghana Education Service. If you know you are not guilty, you should simply wait until CHRAJ invites you but not to go after the member of the organisation that sent you to CHRAJ. I am so surprised a DCE would do such a thing,” another resident, Abubakar Abdul-Razak, said.

Meanwhile, members of the Unique Mining Group in Talensi have lodged protests against a reported plan by the Talensi DCE to deploy soldiers to demolish structures on their concession on Monday.

Addressing journalists at a news conference on Friday, the members of the group said they suspected their licensed concession had become a target for the impending demolition because they had been pressing the Upper East Regional Minister to account for some 150,000 United States dollars he took from Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited on their behalf.

Below is the full statement signed by the group’s acting Chairman, Abdulai Amaligo, and read at the conference by the group’s spokesperson, Christopher Asimah:

PRESS STATEMENT
2OTH JANUARY, 2023.

Ladies and gentlemen from the inky fraternity, good day.

We the members of the Unique Mining Group wish to bring to your attention some pressing issues that need to be disseminated to the general public for the avoidance of distracting the truth of the state of matters arising from compensation, trespass and takeovers.

Our membership includes Hon. Boyak Kolog Zongdan, Mr Abdulai Amaligo who is the acting Chairman of the Unique Mining Group, Mr Matthew Tindanzie, Mr Aduko Atuligya, Mr Sulley Yin-Nche, Mr Kennedy Benzua and Mr Salma Wolbil Kakoub (of blessed memory).

We are very much disturbed and wish to state unequivocally that we did not sanction any member of our group to surrender the Unique Mining Group’s concession to any large-scale concession holders. To our dismay, one of us known as Robert Boazor Tampoare, who claims to be the Upper East Regional Small-Scale Miners Association Chairman, is said to be on record signing a memorandum of understanding with a Chinese mining company known as Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited and formerly known as Shaanxi Mining Company Limited without our consent.

We had drawn the attention of Robert Boazor Tampoare several times to not hold himself out as the representative of the Unique Mining Group because he is not the Chairman of the group. Subsequently, we were told by some officials of the Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited that our concession had been given an amount of 150,000 United States dollars as payment to our group from the Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited for trespassing and mining in our concession for the past years.

We tried to find out from our group’s financier, Hon. Boyak Kolog Zongdan, about the money paid by the Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited for the trespass. He said he had no knowledge of any payment for trespass then. He was not well at the time. But he said he would crosscheck from Robert Boazor Tampoare on the matter. He did and got back to us, saying that the said amount had been paid. So, we decided to press on for our share.

It came to light that the said amount was paid to the Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Stephen Yakubu, who is also known to his peers as Hon. Armstrong Akurugu. The money was paid to him by Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited for onward disbursement to the members of the group. But surprisingly, the Regional Minister paid the money to his friend Robert Boazor Tampoare in person without our consent. Although Robert Boazor Tampoare was a member of our group at the time, he did not disclose to the other members of the group he had taken money (150,000 US dollars) from the Regional Minister on our behalf.

Our sources reveal that he lodged the money in his personal account with the Zenith Bank Bolgatanga branch. We reported the matter to the Bolgatanga Divisional Police Headquarters. Immediately investigations started, the Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Dela Dzansi told us that the matter had been transferred to the Upper East Regional Police Command for further investigations. The matter is still under investigations at the Upper East Regional Police Command. Prior to this, a non-governmental organisation called Development Research Advocacy Centre (DRAC) had heard of our predicament and wanted to find out the facts of the matter. Then, we disclosed to DRAC as stated above.

We are reliably informed that our matter is part of a petition lodged recently with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) by DRAC, the NGO we referred to earlier in this statement. As a result, some of our members have been threatened by faceless people warning us to discuss our matter with anyone and that the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Talensi, Hon. Thomas Wuni Duanab, is organising the security forces to come after them on their licensed mining concession.

Sadly, it is also alleged that Mr Milton Aberinga, a tutor at Bolgatanga Senior High School (Big Boss) and leading official of DRAC was accosted and threatened by the DCE of Talensi and Richard Sunday Yinbil, Secretary to the Paramount Chief of Talensi, Tongo Rana Nanlebegtang Kugbilsong. The incident happened on the premises of the Bolgatanga Senior High School during school hours on Wednesday 18th January, 2023. In our opinion, we see these attacks and threats by government appointees and their allies in the Talensi Traditional Council as attempts to cover up some rot and scandals within the circles of mining which had been raised in a petition by DRAC to CHRAJ.

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we have picked information that the DCE of Talensi is conniving with some security officers to raid our concession and to demolish our structures all because we are asking for our rights as concessionaires to mine peacefully on our licensed concession and to demand payment for the trespass committed on our concession for years by Shaanxi Mining Company Limited now known as Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited.

We as the Unique Mining Group members are, therefore, asking you the media to share with us our challenges to the general public and also pleading with the military hierarchy to direct their operations within the ambits of the laws of the state, Ghana. We are also considering writing a petition to the Chief of Defence Staff on the matter. The threat of using the military to brutalise our members is becoming one too many and if care is not taken the threat to raid our concession and demolish our structures will come to pass.

We would plead with our brothers in uniform to see us as legal miners, not illegal miners. Any action taken by them to dislodge and intimidate would not be the best for us as citizens.

Thank you.

Signed by Read by
Acting Chairman, Abdulai Amaligo Christopher Asimah, Spokesperson.
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(0241493418 and 0541568642) (0544877964)

Source: Daily Mail GH