Nana Okobeng Amponsah, Chief Executive Officer of Okobeng Mining Company, has denied firing gunshots at two small-scale miners at an illegal gold mining site at Gwira-Ampasie in the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira area of the Western Region.
He admitted to firing shots at the mining site, but they were merely warning shots, not aimed at anyone or intended to cause harm.
He explained that the shots were fired in response to an attack on him by illegal miners while he and a colleague were investigating the illegal miners’ pollution of the Ankobra.
He claimed that the charges leveled against him in the aftermath of the incident, as well as allegations that he harmed the two miners, were all false and unfounded.
As a result, he urged the general public to despise such reporting.
He stated that recent attacks on his reputation in the media and through the legal system are simply retaliation from illegal miners affected by his anti-galamsey campaign in the area.
The case is currently before a Half Assini High Court, but Mr. Okobeng claims he has yet to meet with his accusers.
“Where are my accusers while I’m speaking? We had to go to court last week. When I arrived, I was informed that the presiding judge was on leave. I was well-prepared.
“I called the police investigator via telephone and asked him about the case, and he responded that his Regional Commander has recalled the docket to Sekondi. Again, the commander has not provided them with the court docket.
“And they have no idea whether we’re going to court or not. “I didn’t hear anything else about the case after that,” Nana Okobeng Amponsah explained.
In light of this, he has urged the public to disregard media reports that he shot and killed miners in Gwira-Ampasie, claiming that they are a calculated attempt to tarnish his reputation.
