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Residents of Dormaa-Kantinka, a farming village in the Asutifi North District, have appealed to government to intervene, for Newmont Gold Ghana Limited (NGGL), Ahafo Mine to honour the terms of the re-settlement agreement with them.

Making the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Dormaa-Kantinka, near Kenyase Number One, following their arrest by security personnel from NGGL because they were alleged to have unlawfully occupied an operational area of the company.

Madam Deborah Fosu, 67, and a farmer with four children, who spoke on behalf of the residents, said in mid-2014 per a re-settlement agreement with NGGL, the Company was to build residential accommodations outside the Subika East Waste Dump Expansion Land Access Project Site to re-locate them.

Madam Fosu said, the NGGL had not as yet re-settled them, but had since started operations on the site, saying “so on the morning of Monday June 22, Messrs Peter Effah, aged 42, and Kwabena Seth, 25 years, who are also farmers and I went and pitched our camp on the heap rocks at the site”.

“So we vowed not to vacate the place even if Newmont Management will kill us, unless they have re-located us at a designated site elsewhere because we are suffering from dust, noise and water pollution, as a result of their operations and therefore our health is in danger of deterioration ”, she lamented.

Madam Fosu said around 0900 hours that day, six military and four police personnel in the company of some NGGL officials arrived in four pick-up vehicles to effect their arrest and clearance from the place to the District Police Headquarters.

She narrated that the Police took their statements and granted them bail to report the next day, Tuesday June 23 to assist the Police in their investigations.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr. Teddy Brown, Asutifi North District Police Commander confirmed the incident to the GNA, explaining that NGGL reported for the military and the police to clear them from the place “for unlawful occupation and obstruction of their operations on the site legally acquired”

ASP Brown explained that their unauthorized occupation of the place could have resulted in the death of any of them through off-loading of rocks and boulders hence the request by the NGGL for the military and the police intervention.