…Excavators Used For Illegal Mining Impounded
Prosper AGBENYEGA
The Managing Director of Nawara Mining Company Limited, Amuda Yussif Fuseini, 56, and 10 other individuals have been brought before the District Court in Osino in connection with violent clashes at the company’s premises in Nsuapemso, near Osino, on October 1, 2026.
Police records indicate that the accused persons are facing charges including abetment of rioting, rioting with weapons and abetment of causing damage following the incident, which reportedly involved armed individuals and military officers deployed at the mining company’s entrance.
According to the police records, Fuseini allegedly arranged for individuals, including military personnel and other accomplices, to travel from Accra to provide protection ahead of a scheduled meeting with workers.
The records further allege that some of the individuals were armed and attacked military officers on duty at the company’s entrance.
Investigators reportedly recovered weapons and ammunition, including firearms, cartridges and 14 machetes, during their inquiries into the incident.
The clashes were followed by a shooting incident in Osino later that day, leaving several people with gunshot and cutlass wounds.
Two victims, identified as Elvis Nana Mintah, 21, and another person known only as Aziz, were reportedly pronounced dead on arrival at the Osino Clinic.
The Eastern South Regional Police Command of the Ghana Police Service is investigating the shooting incident.
Mining concession dispute
The criminal proceedings come amid a dispute over the ownership and control of the mining concessions previously operated by Nawara Mining Company Limited.
CMS Pro-AA Southern Industry has denied allegations that it forcefully took over the concessions, maintaining that its entry followed regulatory procedures after Nawara’s mining licence was reportedly revoked and subsequently awarded to the company.
Speaking at a news briefing on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the Operations Director of CMS Pro-AA Southern Industry, Tarry Kumi, said the company had completed the necessary processes with the Minerals Commission and other relevant institutions.
Kumi maintained that the company’s actions were based on regulatory decisions rather than a forceful takeover.
He also said consultations had been held with Nawara’s management before the transition, adding that representatives of the previous management had taken officials of his company on tours of the Nsuapemso and Osiem concessions.
According to Kumi, CMS Pro-AA Southern Industry was not conducting mining operations at the time of the briefing but had entered the concessions to address what he described as existing irregularities.
He further alleged that the company discovered illegal mining activities involving more than 50 excavators upon entering the concessions.
He said the excavators were impounded with the assistance of National Security personnel, while those responsible were directed to reclaim degraded lands under the supervision of the National Environmental Protection Authority.
Competing allegations
Kumi also accused Nawara Mining Company Limited of hiring individuals from Accra, Ashaiman, Obuasi and other areas to attack National Security personnel with firearms and machetes.
He further accused Fuseini of masterminding the incident.
These allegations have not been independently verified, and a response from Nawara Mining Company Limited was not included in the information provided.
Kumi also rejected claims that political influence from the presidency had played a role in the concession takeover, specifically dismissing allegations linking the development to Alfred Mahama, the brother of President John Dramani Mahama.
He urged the public to verify CMS Pro-AA Southern Industry’s licensing documents at the Minerals Commission and said his company was engaging communities around the concessions to address concerns through consultation and dialogue.
The prosecution of Fuseini and the 10 others, together with the reported deaths and competing allegations surrounding the mining concession dispute, places the October 1 clashes at the centre of ongoing police investigations and legal proceedings.