NDC Will Arrest Wuntumi for Environmental Crimes- Mustapha Assures

A Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has issued a warning to the Ashanti Regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, regarding his imminent arrest.

Mustapha Gbande declared that if the NDC emerges victorious in the election on December 7, swift action will be taken against the alleged illegal miner.

The verbal threat arose following the regional chairman’s recent response to NDC’s flagbearer John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to removing all miners from the country’s forest areas, which have reportedly been encroached upon by unauthorized individuals.

During the party’s manifesto launch at the University of Education, Winneba, the former president singled out the regional chairman, whose Akonta Mining company has been accused by Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Samuel Jinapor of operating in the banned Tano Nimiri Reserve Forest in the Amenfi West district of the Western Region since 2022.

Mahama emphasized that his administration would amend a Legislative Instrument (LI) passed the previous year to allow mining in forest areas.

“We are going to shut down the forest reserves and remove all those involved in illegal mining activities, including Akonta Mining. Some of the trees in the forest reserves are centuries old, and just for the sake of extracting a small amount of gold, the entire forest reserve is being destroyed,” he remarked.

The issue gained significant prominence approximately two years ago, prompting lawyer Martin Kpebe, Media Coalition Convener against Illegal Mining Ken Ashebey, and others to petition Inspector General of Police Dr. George Akuffo Dampare for Wontumi’s arrest.

However, the police has remained silent on the matter, with Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame stating that no such case has been brought to his attention by the police administration. Chairman Wontumi responded to Mahama’s pledge by asserting that he could not be intimidated and that the NDC would not come into power to harass individuals.

He emphasized that he would defend himself using legal means. “Can you challenge Wontumi? Whether the activities are legal or illegal, the distinction lies in the presence of documentation.

As a seasoned miner, I understand the process of obtaining documents. You want to win just to settle scores with your adversaries, particularly in the Ashanti Region,” he stated. Mustapha Gbande reiterated his intention to personally lead the effort to arrest the NPP leader.

During a live studio interview in the Ashanti Region, the deputy general secretary responsible for operations stated that immediately after the NDC’s flagbearer is declared the election winner, Wontumi would be apprehended on December 8.

He declared that Wontumi would be arrested at his residence in Kumasi and removed in a manner similar to capturing poultry. Gbande emphasized that there would be no delay in taking action against Wontumi following Mahama’s victory.

“When the NDC assumes power, we will arrest him the next day without hesitation. Even if we don’t wait for the official handover, we will still arrest him the following day. I will lead a team of police officers to apprehend him.

We will take him from his home in Kumasi. We will arrest him swiftly and escort him away,” Gbande affirmed during a radio interview in Kumasi, Ashanti Region.