13 Rioters Caged

Police Personnel trying to calm down tempers at Gbane

One of the 14 persons arrested in connection with the May 9, 2012 riot at Gbana, a mining community in the Talensi-Nabdam district of the Upper East region, has been discharged by the Bolgatanga Circuit Court, while 13 other suspects have been remanded.

Daniel Panada was discharged on grounds of lack of evidence linking him to the incident.

However, the 13 others will have to reappear in court on May 29, 2012.

The suspects on remand, including the Assembly Member for Gaare-Gbane Electoral Area, Bismark Azumah, were arrested in and around Gbane after a bloody riot by some persons to show their displeasure about what they described as illegal activities by a Chinese company rendering technical services for a local mining company, Yenyenya Mining Company Limited.

The action of these persons led to the disruption of a ground breaking ceremony to commence the construction of a $1,000,000  bridge over the Oun to link the Gbane and Datuku communities.

During the riot, properties belonging to Shaanxi Mining Ghana Limited were also destroyed beyond repair.

According to prosecution, Daniel Panada was indeed neither at Gbane nor its environs when the incident happened; he was at Damongo in the West Gonja District in the Northern region, hence the need to absolve him of the charges.

From: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bolgatanga