Young people in Talensi in Ghana’s Upper East Region have petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to direct the police to enforce a court order allowing Nalaamtaaba Enterprise to resume mining at Gbane.
The locally owned company is involved in a dispute with Chinese-owned Earl International Group (Ghana) Gold Limited, which says Nalaamtaaba is illegally operating within its concession.
The petition was presented to the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council on the President’s behalf after a march through Bolgatanga led by lawyer and activist Martin Kpebu.
“We wish to respectfully petition President John Dramani Mahama to intervene to help the police to completely and effectively police the Nalaamtaaba concession so as to allow the leaders and the workers of Nalaamtaaba to continue their lawful mining activities,” Mr Kpebu said.
Petitioners seek enforcement of court ruling
Mr Kpebu said a High Court ruling in a case involving Nalaamtaaba, Shaanxi and the Minerals Commission allowed the company to continue operating while the court considered the matter before issuing a final decision.
Earl International was previously known as Shaanxi Mining (Ghana) Limited.
He alleged that enforcement of the ruling had been obstructed, despite the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and his legal team reviewing the order and approving its implementation.
“Even after the IGP and his legal team had looked at the order and had given the go-ahead for police to implement the same. So it is appropriate that we draw His Excellency’s attention to this problem,” he said.
The Bolgatanga High Court ordered police on 10 February to provide Nalaamtaaba managing director with “protection and assistance” at the site. It later rejected Earl International’s application to overturn the order, according to Media Without Borders in March.
Mr Kpebu said Nalaamtaaba directly and indirectly employed more than 1,000 people in Talensi, warning that the suspension of operations was worsening hardship for families.
“We all know that unemployment is a national security threat,” he said. “This man provides work for 1,000 of the youth of Talensi. So the current situation where the youth cannot return to work is creating a case of unemployment.”
The petitioners also asked for bail for Nalaamtaaba’s chief executive, widely known as Polo, who they said was in police custody with some members of his team.
“As we speak now, the leader of Nalaamtaaba is in Police custody. We have prayed that he will be admitted to bail very soon, quickly, so that he can come back to resume the saddle so that the work can continue more efficiently,” Mr Kpebu said.
The petitioners did not explain why he had been arrested, while 3News found no police statement about his detention.
Earl International rejects Nalaamtaaba’s claims
In a statement on 30 September, Earl International said Nalaamtaaba had worked in its concession for weeks in “flagrant violation” of a Minerals Commission notice ordering it to stop mining and leave the Gbane area.
It said the company had no valid mining lease, operating permit, environmental permit or explosives permit. Earl International also accused people claiming to be Nalaamtaaba workers of entering its underground workings with guns and cutlasses.
The statement followed an incident in which two Earl guards were held hostage underground by suspected illegal miners. Earl International urged authorities to enforce the stop-work and vacate order.
The company said in July 2024 that illegal underground miners had attacked and injured five of its security guards. It had not publicly responded to the petition by Wednesday night.
In October, police and soldiers arrested 16 suspects and seized guns, 209 rounds of ammunition, body armour and seven Nalaamtaaba security uniforms during an operation at Gbane. Police did not identify the suspects.
The Talensi Traditional Council banned all mining in the area in September unless operators had its written consent and valid licences from the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Authority.
Upper East Regional Coordinating Director Bless Kwame Darkey, accepting the petition for the Regional Minister, praised the marchers’ conduct and promised to forward it to President Mahama after the minister returned from an engagement on the mining industry. The group is now awaiting a response from the Presidency.
