Albert Kan-Dapaah
People in Sika Ne Asem, a farming community in the Western Region’s Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Municipality, say they are terrified after a series of attacks by some machomen.
They believe the stoutly built men, who are always armed with guns and machetes, were sent from Gwira Banso Divisional Stool to allegedly protect their family cocoa farms at Sika Ne Asem.
As a result, they have appealed to the Minister of National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah, and the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, to intervene in their ordeal with the hoodlums, who have also been extorting money from them and using violence to ensure compliance.
The affected residents, mostly farmers, accused Nana Ette Akrade II, Chief of Banso in the Gwira Traditional Area, of being the mastermind behind the invasion of their lands by marauding machomen.
According to the residents, Nana Ette Akrade II led these manchomen to storm Sika Ne Asem sometime last year to stop some labouring workers who were nursing cocoa seedlings for the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs programme (PFJ).
They stated that the machomen invaded the mining site at Sika Ne Asem on several occasions to seize chanfang machines and other mining equipment, claiming the land belonged to the Banso stool.
The Tufuhene of Gwira Sika Ne Asem, Nana Tapoli, claimed that the Banso chief stopped the activities of small-scale miners to ostensibly obtain the lands for foreigners to mine gold in their community.
He also corroborated his people’s accounts, claiming that the machomen have been subjecting them to a reign of terror in the bush, turning them into slaves on their own land.
He maintained that after the thugs protected him to be installed, the chief had asked them to stay in the town to continue to provide security for him and guide his landed properties.
Nana Tapoli stated that the Bonso chief used the machomen during his enstoolment, and that the thugs have been acting as tax collectors, collecting tolls from his people at Sika Ne Asem and seizing cocoa beans from farmers who do not comply.
The Tufuhene stated that the machomen charged small-scale miners between GH¢50,000 and GH¢100,000, and that the traditional authorities of Sika Ne Asem have never benefited from any development project that has resulted in the destruction of their water bodies.
He stated that they had information that the manchomen had arrived in Sika Ne Asem to rent a hotel and go on an extortion spree against the small-scale miners.
Denial
The Banso Chief, Nana Ette Akrade II, admitted sending some Banso Divisional Stool family members to protect their family’s cocoa farms on the lands at Sika Ne Asem, but denied using machomen to terrorise them.
He claims that the people went there to stop illegal mining on their cocoa farms, implying that the lands in question belong to the Banso Divisional Stool.
Nana Akrade II denied that the people sent to Sika Ne Asem were armed with guns and used them to terrorise residents and extort money from them.
He was perplexed as to why his accusers had failed to report the alleged incidents to the police in order for the perpetrators to be apprehended.
He said the story about sending machomen to the area was concocted, and pointed out that he was a law-abiding military officer, who is in active service and therefore would not do anything to breach peace.
The chief challenged his accusers to produce evidence to back up their claims against him.