'You can't arrest me' - NDC Obuasi West Vice Chairman reacts to galamsey accusations

First Vice Chairman of the NDC in the Obuasi West Constituency, Alhaji Jibril Zamba, has insisted he has done nothing wrong despite allegations linking him to illegal mining activities in the Ashanti Region.

Speaking in an interview sighted by GhanaWeb, on July 28, 2026, Zamba rejected claims that he unlawfully took over a mining concession in the Adansi enclave and maintained that he could not be arrested over the matter because the concession at the centre of the dispute does not belong to any individual.

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The controversy dates back to 2025 when reports emerged that more than 200 acres of a mining concession in the Adansi enclave had been taken over by illegal miners, forcing out licensed operators.

At the time, Zamba was accused of leading unauthorised miners to occupy a legitimate pre-production mining concession.

Reports also alleged that the group claimed they had permission to mine on the land.

Responding to the allegations, Zamba claimed that the concession was released to residents following engagements between community leaders, government officials, and the Minerals Commission.

"That concession does not belong to anyone. I have the documents available with me. During NDC's John Mahama era, a lot of people used to go to the mines in Obuasi, and that angered the locals, so they demonstrated. The current Obuasi West Mayor was then the MCE, and we held several meetings with the Minerals Commission. After those meetings, about 60% of the concession was released to the government, which was later released to us, the locals," he said.

Zamba declined to comment further on the ownership dispute, saying the matter is currently before the court.

According to him, he cannot be arrested because he is protected and had nothing to fear.

"The issue is in court, so I don't want to go deeper into it, but you can't arrest me. You can't arrest Zamba because I am well protected. You can't arrest me. I want everybody to see the kind of person I am. I am a very powerful person," he stated.

He recounted an incident of his arrest at the mining concession at a point, indicating that he had asked those working with him to leave when security officers arrived.

"I told the guys I was working with to run away and allow me to sacrifice myself because I had invested GH¢17 billion in the area, and I wanted the locals to quit the mining," he indicated.

According to him, he voluntarily surrendered to soldiers who transported him to Accra, but was released the same day by a presidential staffer.

"I surrendered myself to the soldiers who took me to Accra. That same day, I was released by a presidential staffer. They didn't take any statement from me because they knew I had committed no crime. I was given the go-ahead to allow the locals to mine because some of the high officials were against galamsey," he claimed.

Zamba further alleged that one of the soldiers who had threatened to kill him later died in a road accident.

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"One of the soldiers threatened me, saying that it pained him that he couldn't kill me, but by the time I left Accra for my village, he had been involved in an accident and died," he alleged.

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