The Chief and elders of Namoalug have presented a petition to government over a “fraudulent” agreement they say has aided the Shaanxi Mining Company Ltd to illegally take over a portion of their land.
A chief and some “alleged leaders” of Gbane, a community in the Talensi District, leased the land, which is said to be part of Namoalug, to the Chinese-owned mining firm in 2012, according to a letter signed by the Chief of Namoalug, Nab Kolsong Na-Laam Nyuurib, and sighted by Starr News.
Copies of the petition have gone to prominent figures including the grand monarch of Mamprugu, the Nayiri, who installed the former Management Accountant at the University of Ghana, known in private life as Bernard Bade Bugre, as the Chief of Namoalug.
“Given that the portion of land leased to the Chinese company falls within the boundaries of the described Namoalug land, we consider the said agreement to be fraudulent and, as such, the activities of the Chinese company on the leased land is an illegal invasion into our property. Emphatically, this said land belongs to the Namoalug community and not to Chief Pubouotaaba Naabil’s family or any other chief in the Talensi Traditional Area,” said the letter dated 9th April, 2020, and addressed to the District Chief Executive of Talensi, Dr. Christopher Boatbil Sormiteyema.
It added: “We, therefore, request that from the date of receipt of this petition, the Chinese company desist from undertaking any activity either on top or below any area of our land until this matter is properly resolved. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that we have evidence to support our case and we would like your good offices to intervene in settling the dispute within 14 days to avoid unnecessary communal conflict.”
Why Namoalug petitioned Government
The elders of Namoalug, the letter indicates, stood against the move by Chief Pubouotaaba Naabil and the “alleged leaders” to lease the land to the Chinese company.
All the traditional mechanisms known to the worried elders of Namoalug in managing and resolving conflict were applied to prevent their land from being “fraudulently” leased out to the Chinese firm, according to the letter. But none of the traditional methods worked. The company secured the land from the alleged false titleholders. Deprived, yet seeking a nonviolent solution, Namoalug decided to look to government to intervene.
“It is also imperative to note that the elders of Namoalug employed several traditional conflict resolution mechanisms to let Chief Pubouotaaba Naabil and these alleged leaders refrain from leasing and renting Namoalug lands to the Chinese company. However, it is sad to note that they failed to adhere to our plea as neighbours in resolving this fraudulent lease of our lands to the Chinese company.
“Given that the Chinese company is currently operating with these false documents, we no longer see this case as one between two communities to be settled using only traditional mechanisms. This is why we are petitioning your august office. We acknowledge your administrative excellence in managing the Talensi District and since Namoalug is a development-oriented community, we would not like to jump the gun, but rather, seek your intervention to call the trespassers, thus the Chinese, to order,” the letter stated.
By Edward Adeti, Upper East region, Daily Mail GH
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