Yakubu Abanga, a senior official within the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has pledged to step down from his post if a government-led probe finds him complicit in illegal mining activities.
Mr. Abanga, the NDC’s Third National Vice Chairman, made the public commitment during an interview on Tuesday, responding to allegations that he and another party executive were behind unauthorized anti-mining task forces accused of extortion and intimidation.
“I am putting my position on the line,” Abanga said. “If anyone can come forward with credible evidence that I am involved in galamsey, or have sanctioned task forces to extort money from miners and channel it to me in Accra, I will resign today.”
The remarks follow a directive from Ghana’s Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, instructing the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to investigate both Mr. Abanga and the NDC’s National Organizer, Joseph Yamin. The probe centers on claims that the two party executives are linked to illegal operations conducted under the guise of anti-galamsey enforcement.
The controversy erupted after a coalition of small-scale miners issued a press statement alleging that pseudo-security teams — allegedly backed by Abanga and Yamin — had raided legal mining sites in the Ashanti and Western regions. According to the miners, the operatives wore military-style camouflage, brandished firearms, and forcibly shut down sites in towns including Sekondi, Bekwai, Offinso, and Prestea.
Andrew Abban, the leader of the miners’ group, described the alleged activities as “organized intimidation” that disrupts legitimate business operations.
Mr. Abanga has forcefully denied the allegations, calling them “baseless, malicious, and a calculated attempt to damage my hard-earned reputation.”
The EOCO investigation is ongoing. Neither Mr. Abanga nor Mr. Yamin has been formally charged.
