Joseph Yammin
The victory of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the December 7, 2024 elections seem to be getting into the heads of some key and influential members of the party.
This is becoming evident with the daily reports of acts of vandalism and thuggery under the guise of a supposed Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) by known and ordinary members of the party which will be taking over the governance of the country from January 7, 2025.
Even before they take over the administration of the country, some of these NDC hoodlums have been running riot across the length and breadth of the country, breaking and looting government stores and individual private properties of persons they claim to be corrupt or supposedly used their positions to amass wealth.
Typical was that of the evening of Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at the Aviance Cargo Village at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
According to reports from the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), the body mandated by law to act as the National Assayer, at about 4pm that day, National Organiser of the NDC, Joseph Yammin, and his boys, who have literally constituted themselves into a vigilante group, with the police looking on unconcerned, invaded the National Assay Centre located at the Aviance Cargo Terminal, and forcibly attempted to seize bullion bars being processed by PMMC for the Central Bank of Ghana.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, between the hours of 16:00 GMT, lasting till about 12 midnight.
The bullion bars were said to belong to the Bank of Ghana as part of the ongoing Domestic Gold Purchase Programme (DGPP), which was launched as far back as June 2021, and that the bars were being assayed to confirm their weights, purity and consequently value.
“It was during this assay that the process was disrupted by a mob led by Mr. Yammin, with the allegation that the said bullion bars were being smuggled secretly out of Ghana by certain political actors, which allegation is false,” a statement issued by the Corporate Affairs Department of the PMMC said.
In the heat of the melee, PMMC and the Bank of Ghana had to call for the intervention of the police, and after several hours of stand-off, it was agreed that the bullion bars be moved to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command for safekeeping until a resolution of the issue.
It indicated that a private exporter, who is duly licenced to carry out exports, was also affected by this unfortunate incident.
That, according to the PMMC, was because “the gold which was being processed for export by the private licenced exporter was also added to the bullion belonging to the Bank of Ghana.”
For the PMMC, “This unlawful action is deeply regrettable and has the potential to cause significant harm to Ghana’s reputation on the international bullion market,” insisting that “such disruptions not only undermine the confidence of legitimate international gold buyers but also threaten the country’s standing as a trusted player in the global gold trade.”
That, they said, was because “these acts place the Ghanaian men and women who are lawfully discharging their duties at significant risk.”
The PMMC said “the dedicated staff, who are committed to ensuring compliance with Ghana’s strict regulatory standards, should not have to face threats or intimidation while performing their legitimate responsibilities,” adding, “this creates a hostile environment and undermines the very systems designed to ensure transparency and integrity in Ghana’s gold trade.”
“It is important to emphasise that a simple verification with the relevant authorities, including PMMC and the Bank of Ghana, would have clarified the legitimacy of the process and avoided such an embarrassing and damaging situation,” it insisted.
The management of PMMC, however, noted that it “stands resolute in its commitment to ensuring transparency, accountability, and compliance with all legal and regulatory standards governing the export of gold.”
The body said it will continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to safeguard the integrity of Ghana’s gold trade.
“PMMC reiterates its commitment to upholding its mandate as National Assayer and will not relent in promoting responsible gold trade to protect and advance the interests of Ghana’s precious minerals industry,” it emphasised.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu