Trouble At Mining Town...Women and Children flee

At least 45 people including women and children have once again fled Awudua, a troubled mining town in the Wassa West district of the Western region after they had been attacked and severely wounded by their assailants who are believed to be supporters of the queen mother, Nana Afia Yaadwo, in the night of Saturday April 12, this year, Chronicle has learnt.

The latest attack and the subsequent fleeing of the town by the victims who are mainly supporters of Nana Kobina Angu, the substantive chief of the town who the queenmother and her supporters are fighting to remove from office, has been attributed to the death of Nana Asante, one of the sub chiefs who is leading the queen mother's faction in their crusade to destool their chief.

Nana Asante who acted as a spokesman for the queen mother's faction in the recent news conference they organized at Awudua to state their side of the long-standing dispute which if not nipped in the bud could affect investment that has been made in the area by the mining companies, reportedly died on Tuesday April 8, through a motor accident on the main Tarkwa-Bogoso road.

The queen mother, who was out of the town when the incident happened, reportedly returned on Friday and caused a gong gong to be beaten, warning all supporters of Nana Angu to leave the town within 24 hours for their own safety. Nana Yaadwo's action was premised on her believe that Nana Angu used spiritual powers to kill Nana Asante because of his crusade to destool him.

Because of this allegation, the supporters of the queen mother did not even wait for the 24-hour deadline given to Nana Angu's supporters to leave the town before they went and poured their venom on the victims who had to flee the ancient town, which is full of dilapidated structures, through the bush to Tarkwa in the night with their families.

One of the victims, Emelia Ezoe who sustained severe injuries on her back after several sticks had landed there, told Chronicle at Tarkwa that but for mercy shown to her by one of the queen mother's supporters who, sensing danger ,whisked her away into safety, her flesh would have been cut into pieces. She said after using sticks to hit her several times, one of her assailants went for a kitchen knife to stab her to death but she was lucky to have been taken away by the Good Samaritan thus saving her dear life.

Another victim who is also a nursing mother told this reporter that she was approached whilst she was in the local market, to leave the town peacefully with her family within two hours after few slaps had landed on her cheek and the items she was selling taken away including her money. "I quickly went and informed my husband after which we left the town around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday April 12 as they were demanding, and walked through the bush to Tarkwa, which is about 30 miles away," she said whilst breast-feeding her child.

Meanwhile the Tarkwa police who appear to have been overwhelmed with the constant attack on innocent people in the town that can boast of large gold deposits are providing a 24-hour guard at the private residence of Nana Angu at Tarkwa. The decision follows a report that Yaadwo's supporters were plotting to abduct the chief in the night from his residence and send him to Awodua, the traditional capital to be killed like a sheep.

The latest Awodua incident which could also pose a threat to the numerous investments made in the area by the big time mining companies, is a step in the back of the Western regional security council (REGSEC) who just recently brokered a peace deal with the two factions to ensure a lasting peace in the area, which also accommodates the second largest mining company in Ghana, Goldfields Ghana Limited (GGL).

The REGSEC, led by the regional minister, Hon.Boahen Aidoo, warned after meeting the two factions at Tarkwa last month, that both the queen mother and the chief would be held responsible by the law enforcement agencies if any of their supporters once gain took the law into their own hands and tried to disturb peace in the area.

They advised the factions to allow the judiciary to use the due process of the law to resolve the issue at the center of the dispute.

As a result of this arbitration, REGSEC decided to withdraw the macho-like policemen who were earlier sent to the town to patrol the area. Earlier the IGP himself, Nana Owusu Nsiah, who is also a traditional ruler, had met the factions in his office in Accra and advised them to use the due process of the law to resolve the conflict instead of resorting to violence, which they agreed.

When contacted, the Tarkwa divisional police commander, Mr. W. B. Baiden, confirmed the incident but said so far no arrest had been made though various degrees of injuries had been reported to them by the victims. He however said their decision not to affect any arrest is strategic.

He told this reporter that his outfit intends to, once again, invite all the factions to Tarkwa to see if they could this time round find a lasting solution to the problem.

Chronicle has meanwhile learnt from independent sources that the disrespect being shown to the law in the town has kept coming on because the prosecutions of the suspects from both sides of the dispute which would have served as deterrent to others, are usually withdrawn from the courts without any tangible reasons.

The regional minister, Hon. Boahen Aidoo has meanwhile told a radio station in Takoradi that he was waiting for the report on the latest incident from the district security council to enable him take the necessary action. He gave assurance that this time round, all those who would be implicated would face the full rigors of the law.