Lands Minister Under Fire…Farmers Accuse Him Of Secretly Authorizing Perseus Mining To Destroy Cocoa Farms In Breman
Farmers in Breman in the Upper Denkyira West in the Central Region are seething with anger, accusing the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah of allegedly giving approval for Perseus Mining (Ghana) Limited (PMGL) to destroy vast acres of cocoa and food crops in the area.
The approval came in a September 4, 2025, letter from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR), signed by the acting Chief Director, Innocent Haligah, for the minister.
The letter a copy of which is in possession of this paper was titled “Determination of Dispute Over Compensation for Disturbance of Owners Surface Rights,” and dated 4 September, 2025, was addressed to three farmers—Kwaw Paul, Ama Mpomaa, and Afia Anto, all members of the Concerned Farmers Association-Breman (CFAB).
The letter states in part that the minister’s intervention followed a petition from PMGL, invoking Section 73(3) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), to determine compensation for disturbance of surface rights after a so-called dispute between the mining company and the CFAB members.
According to the letter, the minister, in consultation with the Lands Commission, set the compensation for 6.17 acres of crops belonging to the three farmers at GHS694,284.00.
Consequently, the letter mandated that “PMGL has by this letter been mandated to access your land and proceed with their mining operation immediately.”
But the three farmers named in the letter, along at least seven other CFAB members, confirm they were never notified of the minister’s directive.
The CFAB members, therefore, accused Mr. Kofi-Buah of acting in league with the mining company by ignoring Section 72(5) of Act 703.
This section explicitly requires that a crop survey be carried out “in the presence of the owner or lawful occupier… and in the presence of an officer of the Government agency responsible for land valuation.”
“How did the Honourable Minister arrive at his figure of GHS694,284.00 when no one ever came to our farms with us to count our crops?” questioned one of the affected farmers.
Despite the letter being addressed to only three individuals, Ghanaian RADAR established that PMGL had proceeded to destroy cocoa and food crops belonging to approximately ten other members of CFAB, escalating the scale of the loss.
According to the affected farmers, the situation highlights a profound failure of due process, where a ministerial ruling intended to resolve a dispute was issued as a secret decree, “leaving them without a voice as their farms are destroyed.”
It would be recalled that on Friday, September 5, 2025 between 1:30 pm and 2:00pm, PGML in in a two-phase operation that ignited community fury allegedly bulldozed cocoa farms belonging to eight local farmers in Breman, leaving widespread destruction and economic ruin in its wake.
The affected farmers—Paul Minah (4 acres), Paul Kofi Minah (1.5 acres), Kwao Minah (3.5 acres), widow Ama Asantewaa (6 acres), Wofa K, Wofa Adinkra, Auntie Blaa and John Koomson—are all members of the CFAB.
The raids not only destroyed cocoa trees but also wiped out harvested ripe cocoa and other cash crops, including cassava, plantain, pineapple, sugarcane, and yam, without any prior warning or compensation.
Eyewitnesses reported that the operations were conducted using two excavators, accompanied by seven armed police officers and unspecified military personnel.
The first incident occurred targeted the farms of Paul Minah, Kofi Paul Minah, and Kwao Minah.
A second pre-dawn raid followed on Saturday, September 6, 2025, levelling the farms of Ama Asantewaa, Wofa K, Wofa Adinkra, John Koomson and Auntie Blaa.
