Information reaching Awake News is that Nana Yaw Boadu has been arrested at the Asokwa Police Station in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ashanti Region.
Nana Yaw Boadu who is the Special Monitoring and Evacuation Officer with the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) responsible for moving all seized mining equipments into safe keeping is being accused of extortion of various amount of money from some small scale miners whose equipments have been seized
According to sources, Nana Yaw Boadu’s arrest comes after countless owners of Mining Equipments, mostly excavators for which his office had seized, lodged complaints at the Asokwa Police over exorbitant extortion amounts of about GHS 70,000 per head.
The complaints, who out of desperation to get their seized equipments allegedly paid the GHc70,000 and an additional GHc30,000 to Nana Yaw Boadu since May 2020 but have still not taken possession of their equipments and upon realizing the lies being told them by Nana Yaw, decided to inform the Asokwa police after they were alerted of his presence in the area.
“It is thus instructive to note that, all the excavators which Ekow Ewusie handed over to Mr Boadi, are allegedly being used for illegal mining otherwise known as Galamsey to the benefit of Mr Boadu.” – An NPP member close to the Mr. Boadu has said
“But like the Holy Scriptures teaches us, Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that will be done unto you” – He added
Just yesterday, it was reported in the media that some Kumasi based small scale miners said their excavators which were seized during the banning of small-scale mining are being used for hiring and illegal mining in some parts of the country.
According to them, they have discovered that scores of the allegedly missing excavators seized from illegal miners are currently being used again for illegal mining by unknown persons, according to Kumasi based scale miners.
The miners said the 500 excavators which were seized between 2017 and 2018 are not missing as alleged by the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Professor Frimpong Boateng.
Mr. Akwasi Nyamekye, an Ashanti region-based registered small scale miner whose seized excavators could not be traced and still scanning around but spotted an excavator that includes the seized ones at Prof, Frimpong Boateng’s Kumasi Kwadaso Estate House which he blew alarm though the excavator does not belong to him.
He said they have been able to find some of these machines in some parts of the country being used for hiring and other unlawful purposes.
According to him, some of these machines had tracking devices, so they have been able to trace them.
He said, when they take the machine in the Ashanti region then, they send it to the Northern region.
“They are engaged in one activity or the other. Some are even engaged in galamsey”, he added.
Mr. Prince Acheampong one of the miners based in Kumasi said, during when owners of these excavators have made several efforts to locate the whereabouts of their machines so it could be released to them and pay for the penalties and fines.
Mr. Prince Acheampong said one of the missing excavators has been spotted in front of the house of Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng at Kumasi Kwadaso estates which have shocked many.
He added that some of these missing excavators are kept at a Chinese firm known as Caitec Delta in Mallam junction in Accra, where the excavators are used for rentals in the name the minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovations.
“At Pakyi No. 1 junction on the Obuasi – Kumasi road in the Ashanti region, some seized excavators which were under the watch of Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng are being used for renting in his name” Mr. Eric Boafo one of the miners also added.
All these concerns have been raised by small scale miners whose seized excavators could not be traced to know its whereabouts.
In an interview with the media, some Small scale miners insisted that government should arrest Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovations, revoke his ministerial appointment, face prosecution and dealt with in accordance with the laws of the land.
The small scale miners have also threatened to vote against the Akufo Addo’s NPP government in the upcoming general elections if the Environment, Science, Technology and innovations minister is not immediately arrested and probed to show the whereabouts of the missing excavators.