Galamsey chief crawls the ground to plead Okyenhene’s Mercy

It has emerged that the Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panyin destooled the Benkumhene of Asamang Tamfoe Nana Darkwa despite pleas by the ssub-chief

Nana Darkwa, in earlier reports, had called bluff reports of his destoolment by the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council led by the Okyenhene.

However, appearing before the committee on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, Nana Darkwa lied down to plead against his destoolment when the Council found him guilty of engaging in illegal small scale mining also known as galamsey.

Nana Darkwa was also found guilty of disrespecting the Council and the Okyenhene for holding a press conference in which he called the bluff of the Okyeman Environmental Protection Taskforce and threatening to clash with them if they dared enter Asamang Tamfoe to clamp down on illegal mining in the area.

At the press conference, he is said to have addressed himself as the chairman of the Community Mining Committee at Asamang Tamfoe and Benkumhene of the area, who wield the sole powers to supervise community mining in the area.

Nana Darkwa is said to have instigated the Asamang Tamfoe youth in a confrontation that ensued between the Okyeman Environmental Taskforce and a section of the youth in the area which led to the sporadic gunshot in the area some months ago.

He had questioned the authority of the leader of the Okyeman Environmental Taskforce who double as the Apepamhene, Okogyeman Apedja Fori and the Kyebi Divisional Police Command on clamping down the menace of illegal mining in the area.

But appearing before the Council, Nana Darkwa appeared remorseful while lying before the Okyehene to plead for pardon.

However, the Okyenhene refused his plea for pardon and insisted that the Benkumhene was not fit to be a chief per his conduct.

Subsequently, Okyenhene’s chief linguist Okyeame Antwi Boasiako performed customary rites at the forecourt of Ofori Panin Fie to symbolise the destoolment of Nana Darkwa.

The customary rites were performed in the presence of the Kyebi Executive Council and the Chief of Asamang Tamfoe Nana Kwame Koh II.

Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin cautioned Chiefs within the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional area to be guided by this development and desist from promoting activities of illegal mining or getting involved in same or face destoolment.

The Okyenhene emphasised that he will not relent in his effort to crack the whip on any chief within the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional area who is involved in illegal mining.