The Forum for Accountability and Equal Justice in Northern Ghana (FOAEJU-GH) has requested that Robert Boazor Tampoare, a member of Unique Mining Group, release to mining concession owners their share of the compensation that was paid by the Earl International Group Ghana for allegedly trespassing on their concessions. The impacted residents of the mining community of Gbani, located in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region, accused Mr.

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Tampoare, a fictitious regional chairman of the Small-scale Miners Association of Ghana, of wasting $150,000 that was supposed to be split among eight members of the Unique Mining Group. At the news conference, the acting Chairman for the Unique Mining Group and member of FOAEJU-GH, Abdulai Amaligo, last Friday, called on the Region­al Minister, Stephen Yakubu, to ensure that Mr. Tampoare gives members their fair share of the compensation.

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He said that the minister handed $150,000 to Mr. Tampoare at the office of the minister, at the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), in Bolgatanga, in July 2021. Mr.

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Amaligo said the minis­ter, acting as a mediator between the small-scale miners and Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited, formerly called Shaanxi Mining Company Limited, took some monies for onward disburse­ment to all concessioners whose mine concessions were afflicted by Shaanxi mines, which went into large scale mining in 2019. Acting Chairman for the Unique Mining Group, said the group did not sanction any nego­tiation between Mr.

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Tampoare and the Earl International Group Gha­na Gold Limited on the ‘trespass’ monies paid by the company. He said that Mr. Tampoare after defying advice to desist from his unilateral negotiations with the company, acted together with the Upper East Regional Minister, and the duo reached a $150,000 deal with the company.

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“Our financier, Boyak Kolog Zongdan told us that the said amount ($150,000) was paid to the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Stephen Yakubu. Surprisingly, the Regional Minister chose to pay the monies to Robert Boazor Tampoare in person without our consent,” Mr. Amaligo alleged. He said the group has given Mr. Yakubu a two-week ultimatum to impress upon Mr. Tampoare to pay the compensation or risk facing the wrath of members. Mr.

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Amaligo said Tampoare, the man at the centre of the accusation, has been arrested by the Bolgatanga Divisional Police Command, and subsequently handed over to the Regional Police Command, to assist with investi­gations.

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Meanwhile, the Development Research and Advocacy Centre, a Bolgatanga-based civil society organisation, has petitioned the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice, to in­vestigate the Regional Minister for allegedly abusing his office and en­gaging in false representation, and “using his office to get the lump sum compensation paid into the bank account of the RCC, with account number: 9011130014513, for onward disbursement to

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the concession owners.” However, Mr. Yakubu in his response, denied all allegations levelled against him, describing them as vexatious, baseless and unfounded. According to him, the people styled themselves as aggrieved small-scale miners, who had not received their share of the com­pensation, and were only sponsored by his detractors to drag his name into disrepute. According to Mr. Yakubu, he had no authority to compel Mr.

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Tampoare to pay disgruntled members their monies and asked the accusers to have faith with the police who had already com­menced probe into the matter.

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