Okyehene’s Scribe Throws In the Towel, Accuses Police of Daily ‘Collections’ and poisoning Birim River as Landlord Gabby Distances Self
By Prince Ahenkorah
The fight against illegal mining (galamsey) in Ghana has always been a theatre of shadows, where political connections and local complicity blur the lines of enforcement. The latest drama unfolding on a 35-acre plot at Akyem Asikam in the Eastern Region threatens to expose just how close to the centre of power that theatre operates.
The land belongs to Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a prominent lawyer and cousin to former President Nana Akufo-Addo, but he insists the picks and shovels are not his.
Mr. Otchere-Darko confirmed his ownership of the disputed property to The New Republic but firmly denied any role in the illegal mining now carving up the earth. He points to his caretaker, Danny Ofori Atta, who also serves as Secretary to the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, as the man on the ground.
Ofori Atta presents a picture of helplessness. He concedes the land belongs to Otchere-Darko and that he manages it, but claims the property has been invaded by community miners. His story is a familiar one in Ghana’s galamsey saga: reports made to the Eastern Regional Police Command, but no action taken. He goes further, alleging that elements within the police are actively compromised, facilitating the very destruction they are meant to halt.
The miners, he says, access the site through an unfenced portion of the walled property, turning what was once intended as a site for a poultry farm and later a real estate project into a pockmarked lunar landscape.
Ofori Atta’s narrative of powerlessness is, however, met with deep scepticism in Abuakwa South. Local sources counter that it strains credulity that such an operation estimated to be affecting half of the 35-acre plot could occur on the land of such a high-profile figure without his blessing or protection.
They point to the fact that the land is fenced, a barrier that would typically keep out intruders, not facilitate their entry.
The public confirmation of mining activity on the site comes from an unexpected quarter: the District Director of NADMO, Ofori Aikins, who also doubles as the Constituency Communications Officer for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). While he confirms the activity, the precise legal status and scale of the operations remain unverified, awaiting official regulatory oversight.
The residents of Asikam and surrounding communities like Bunso argue that the visible destruction points to a protection racket involving powerful actors, suggesting the galamseyers are emboldened by political shielding.
They draw a direct line from this site to the broader environmental devastation of the region, including the degradation in Kyebi, the President’s hometown, which has been a national talking point for years.
A Test of Resolve
For the residents, this is the ultimate test of the government’s oft-stated commitment to an impartial war on galamsey. The call is for an independent investigation, not just into the miners at the bottom of the pit, but into the framework that allows such an operation to thrive on the land of one of the ruling party’s most influential figures.
The prosecution of Mr. Otchere-Darko, if found culpable, is seen not as an act of political persecution, but as the only meaningful deterrent. It would signal that the fight against galamsey is indeed without fear or favour, a proposition that the state’s enforcement agencies, and the local police command, now have a chance to prove. For now, the pit at Asikam remains a symbol of the paralysis at the heart of Ghana’s environmental governance.