An ‘ex-galamseyer’, Kojo Owusu, has shared his experience on the life-threatening occupation of illegal mining, popularly known in Ghana as ‘galamsey’.
Mr Owusu, known to many as Opooman, has has spoken to Adom 106.3, exclusively about the checkpoints such category of miners have had to go through, underground when exiting the pits.
According to him, the checkpoints are instituted by persons who ensure that mining proceeds are shared between them and mining hands.
“There are two major checkpoints which are manned by persons who do not enter the galamsey pits with us but once you get there, you have to divide your Gold and share with them,” he said on Adom FM’s social discussion segment, ‘Y’asem Nie’, Wednesday.
Opooman who disclosed how bitter he became over time, said he devised a clever approach to outwit these persons who he calls ‘smart’.
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“I could not continue to suffer in the pits while they sit up there and wait to enjoy from my toils so I decided to hide parts of my proceed. As part of my strategy, I labelled the real gold while I packed stones into two other sacks,” he disclosed.
By doing so, Opooman knew which proceeds to keep and which ones he gave to these persons manning the checkpoints during the sharing.
Opooman also recounted a day on which he say death so close to him as he engaged one of the people in a fight after he forcibly took his gold from him.
“The guy was someone I could beat; so I slapped him and he fell amid screams for help and suddenly, his people who spoke mainly hausa attacked and beat me to pulp and that was how I decided not to return to the pits,” he narrated.
Adom 106.3 FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem is running a series with the former ‘child galamseyer’ on the Y’asem Nie segment every Wednesday.
Opooman will, therefore, continue with his narrations next Wednesday.