By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Court has denied Ghanaian activist, Oliver Barker Vormawor bail after he organised anti-illegal mining protest known as “galamsey” in the West African gold-rich country.
Despite being seriously ill, Vormawor detained along with 11 others, will remain in police custody for additional two weeks, the court ruled on Thursday.
During his appearance in court, Vormawor pleaded not guilty to multiple charges leveled against him, including unlawful assembly and assault on a public officer.
He has been treated at the police medical facility for an undisclosed illness.
A Cambridge-educated activist, Vormawor organised a three-day protest, urging for action against illegal mining, which has been blamed for 60% of water pollution in the country.
If the practice is not curbed, the country could be importing water by 2030, analysts have said.
Last weekend, Vormawor’s group which calls itself Democracy Hub, clashed with the police in the capital Accra, leading to several arrests.
The police accused the protesters of blocking roads, dismantling police road blocks and obstructing traffic in the city.
Ghana is the leading producer of gold in Africa but has struggled to deal with illegal mining in recent years.
Heritage Times HT reports that illegal mining has become recurrent in West Africa, attracting concerns from authorities.
President of Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr Julius Maada Bio earlier in the year said illegal mining and trafficking in precious minerals has negatively impacted peace, stability, security, development, governance, the rule of law, the environment and the economy of West Africa.
At a meeting by ECOWAS Parliament, Bio said the region has contended with illegal mining even before the nations gained their independence, challenged the parliamentarians to come up with resounding conclusions that would contribute immensely towards addressing the unacceptable poverty levels in the region through the proper exploitation of richly endowed mineral resources for the benefit of all.
