Chairman of the Constitutional and Legal Committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Frank Davies, has called for greater adherence to the rule of law in Ghana, urging citizens to respect legal processes, particularly in matters relating to land and mining concessions.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, January 25, he highlighted the Obuasi incident where individuals unlawfully invaded legally owned mining sites, disregarding property rights to mine and clashed with the military.
This action led to the death of some miners, leaving others injured.
Read also: Obuasi clash update: 9 confirmed dead, 4 still in critical conditions, others discharged.
Calling for a constructive approach to addressing these issues, Mr. Davies urged Ghanaians to look beyond political affiliations and accept the legal implications of their actions.
“It is about time we look at these things constructively. Take out the political lenses and acknowledge the reality. I sympathise with those affected, but Ghanaians must learn to be law-abiding,” he said.
“Even if a concession is unmined for the time being, somebody has a legal right to it. It is barricaded, fenced, and properly licensed. Yet, people cut through the fences to enter illegally and mine without permission, authority, or license,” he lamented.
He criticised the actions of illegal miners who claim economic necessity as a justification for their unlawful activities.
“You wake up in a community and claim you have to eat, so you enter somebody’s concession without permission and start mining. Then, when consequences follow, the company is blamed. This should not be the case,” he stated.