Alhaji Jibril Zamba, the First Vice Chairman of the NDC in the Obuasi West Constituency, has reacted to the illegal mining (galamsey) accusation levelled against him in the Ashanti Region.
The NDC vice-chair refuted claims that he unlawfully took over a mining concession in the Adansi enclave.
According to Alhaji Jibril Zamba, he cannot be arrested as he is well protected.
He further claimed that the concession was released to residents following engagements between community leaders and government officials.
Speaking in an interview, Alhaji Jibril Zamba stated, “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 added, “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”.
“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.
He further bragged, saying, “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”.
“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.
It will be recalled that back in 2025, 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.
Zamba was accused of leading unauthorised miners to occupy a legitimate pre-production mining concession, with reports alleging that the group claimed they had permission to mine on the land.
In related news, President John Dramani Mahama has confessed that illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, involves individuals across political and traditional structures.
According to John Mahama, he will not kid himself that his own party people are not involved in the galamsey menace.
President Mahama highlighted that the fight against the galamsey menace will be difficult but must continue.
Mahama stressed that operators often shift allegiance when governments change, allowing the practice to continue.
Speaking during a meeting with Organised Labour at the Jubilee House in Accra on Tuesday, March 17, President Mahama stated, “Illegal mining has eaten into the fabric of our society. And I must say that it is not only a menace to our society, but it has involved a circle of traditional rulers, political party appointees and everything”.
“Even when one party changes, those who were running some operation, who went to one party, will go to the next party and say, now that you have come, come and take over this operation and let’s share. We, too, will be getting small; this is what we are doing. And so I don’t kid myself that we don’t have our own people involved,” he stated.
President Mahama further touched on the work of the anti-illegal mining task force NAIMOS, describing it as challenging, especially in communities where resistance is strong.
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