PHOTO: Junior Dahn (Left) and Junior Paye (Right)
By E. Festus G. Frazer, Jr., efgfrazerjr@gmail.com
GBOANIPEA, Nimba County- It has emerged that at least two persons have been wounded at the Gboanipea Gold mines own and operated by the Universal Forest Corporation (UFC), a mining company operating in Tappita Statutory District, which is over 337 kilometers from Monrovia.
The incident occurred last Thursday, June 4, 2020, after citizens of Gboanipea and its environs allegedly invaded the mines.
In September 2019, the company signed an agreement with the people of Tappita Statutory District to take over the gold mine for the period of five years. The company started official operation in October the same year but slowdown in February 2020 to acquire some equipment that will enhance the work of the company, but a team comprising some high level managers and security were left on the ground to monitor the properties of the company.
According to Mr. Albert Gonkarnue Tennie, Administrative Assistant to the CEO, the company slowed down its activities as a result of the advice given by its geologist who did the prospecting.
He said, the geologist had advice that the gold at the mining site was beneath a huge piled of gravel. Therefore, the company needs to build a processing plant to enable them get the mineral at the site.
“We were advice by the geologist who did the prospecting that the mining site contains huge pile of gravel. So in order to get the gold, we need to build a processing plant that will grind everything at this site before we can get the mineral.”
He further asserted that the construction of the plant will cost the company US $15 million. It is reported that this was the reason the company slow down its activities in order to acquire these activities.
“So, the geologist also advice that the construction of the plant will cost 15 million United States Dollars and base on his advice our chief has to go and get the materials.”
The tentative team left on ground communicated with the head office to trace what he term as “the gold line” in order to make their work easier when the shall have resumed active operation using the processing plant, Mr. Tennie explained.
“Those of us on the ground communicated with the head office that we want to trace the gold line so that when we start active operation with the plant we will know the direction of the gold then our work will be easy,” he added.
On Thursday June 4, 2020, the security at the site reported that there was heavy influx of non-employees of the company at about 9:00 pm.
According to the security report, more than four hundred people, majority of whom were carrying Single Barrel Pistol, knives and cutlasses entered the mining site in search of the gold line.
It has been learned that the invaders outnumbered the security and so they had to abandon the site to save their lives. He said it was during this time that the invaders started fighting among themselves. He further said, it was during this time that the victims got wounded. He also pointed out that it could be that the victims were been attacked by others who were in search of the gold line.
“On Thursday June 4, 2020, our security on duty reported that more than 400 unknown people who are not employed by the company invaded the gold mine and our security escaped, so they started fighting among themselves. So, maybe it was during this time that the other two guys got wounded while returning from the gold line.”
However, the company has been heavily blamed by residents of Tappita for the incident. But the company through its administrative assistant has clarified the allegations, warning citizens to desist from invading the company’s properties as the legal consequences await them.