Talensi: 'Gold Baron' taken to court over alleged plot to harm philanthropist

Correspondence from Upper East

A Circuit Court in Bolgatanga has set April 6, 2023, to proceed on a criminal trial against Ibrahim Naab alias “Gold Baron” for allegedly mobilising some men said to be thugs to attack a miner and philanthropist in Talensi, Zongdan Boyak Kolog, popularly known as “Polo”.

He was arrested on March 15, 2023, after Kolog lodged a complaint with the Talensi District Police Command with an audio recording as evidence against him.

The audio recording has a voice said to be that of Naab saying in Talen, the language spoken in Talensi, that Kolog would not be spared during the planned attack.

“Good evening, all Gbane youth. Some people have called me for a discussion and they are talking about Tuesday. Tuesday is too far. I have told them that since Tuesday is too far, I can give them time and the time would be Monday. And on Monday, when they lift the ban― whether they lift the ban or they don’t lift the ban― we are not going to spare Polo.

“We are going to attack him. We are not going to attack him because of personal issues, but we are going to attack him because there is no meaning for him to work and we will not work. As town folks, we have to work and not he Polo,” the voice is heard rallying a crowd of young men in a meeting which eyewitnesses say took place at Gbane, a gold-mining suburb of Talensi.

He was charged with threat of harm when he appeared in court on March 21, 2023, and was granted bail in the sum of Gh¢20,000 with two sureties.

The attack plot on Kolog comes shortly after the High Court 2 in Bolgatanga, capital of the Upper East Region, presided over by Justice Alexander Graham, granted an interlocutory injunction in a trespass lawsuit in favour of Kolog, Managing Director of Nanlamtaaba Enterprise, a licensed small-scale mining company in the district.

The interlocutory injunction, issued by the court on February 23, 2023, orders five parties sued in the case to stay away from Kolog’s concession. The five parties include Earl International Group (Ghana) Gold Limited, the Minerals Commission and the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Talensi, Thomas Wuni Duanab.

The other defendants in the case, who are relations of “Gold Baron”, are the Chief of Gbane, Elijah Nab Pardnyuun, and Pardzie Nab alias “Commando”. Pardzie Nab (Commando), who once stood trial at the same court for robbing the same Kolog, and one John Bawa, who is standing trial in a different case in the region, were among a number of people who accompanied “Gold Baron” to court on Tuesday.

Possible contempt of court

Many are of the view that “Gold Baron” is likely to face contempt charges at the High Court 2― where the interlocutory injunction was issued in Kolog’s favour― as a result of the comments being attributed to him in the recording.

The High Court 2 last sat on the trespass case on Monday, March 13, 2023― the “Monday” that “Gold Baron” is said to have mentioned in the audio recording while he was hatching the attack with the alleged thugs against Kolog.

His arrest and ongoing prosecution come about 10 days after two natives of Talensi― the Chief of Baare, Naab Nyakora Mantii, and Richard Sunday Yinbil, Secretary to the Paramount Chief of Talensi, Tongraan Kugbilsong Nanlebegtang, were arrested and handcuffed in a courtroom after they sought to influence the court’s presiding judge, Justice Alexander Graham. They were charged with contempt and convicted on their own plea.

The two men had told Justice Graham privately in his chambers on March 10, 2023, that the Tongraan had requested that the judge meet with him the following day at his palace for a private discussion related to some mining-related cases that had been filed from Talensi and were being handled by the judge.

The judge, whom many observers say has been incorruptible throughout his career in the judicial service, caused the arrest of the two men at once and put them on trial.

He also demanded asked the accused persons to produce the Tongraan himself for prosecution. But about twelve lawyers, who were in the courtroom at the time for different cases, prayed for mitigation on behalf of the accused persons. As prayers from the lawyers for a non-custodial sentence increased, a lawyer from Gbewaa Chambers, Mohammed Damanko Abdulai, told the judge that the Tongraan had communicated with him by phone, expressing regrets for his action and had asked him to intervene by pleading for a non-custodial sentence on behalf of the two accused persons.

The pleas were followed by the judge issuing an order for the two convicted persons to sign a bond of good behaviour for a period of six months at the Upper East Regional Police Command.

Five days later, the residence of the judge came under a violent attack at night waged by some unknown men. Stones were hurled at the residence and gunshots were heard around the house.

The Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, asked the judge to leave the region for Accra immediately for his own safety as the attack continued unabated until soldiers and police officers arrived at the scene.

The judge left the region at dawn the following day under military and police escort for the Tamale International Airport and was flown to Accra. He has since not returned to the Upper East Region. Consequently, cases already filed at his court are being adjourned. Public calls for his return have continued unabated with some individuals and groups announcing plans to march in the regional capital for his return.