Citizens of Mount Coffee Township and Mr. David Kol
The Citizens of Mount Coffee Township are seeking the intervention of Presidents Joseph Nyuma Boakai to stop a Canadian National from taking over a gold mining site in Ben-Ben Town in Mount Coffee Township, Montserrado County.
According to the Chairperson of the Mount Coffee Township Council Allison D. Nuahn, the gold mining site was discovered by a Liberian called Mr. Richard Kollie who has been certificated with Class-C mining license by the Ministry of Mines and Energy in 2020 after verifying that the site has not being licensed to any company or individual.
Chairman Nuahn made the disclosure over the weekend when the Canadian National called David Kol who establish the GEM Rocks Mining Resources and obtained exploration license from the Ministry of Mines and Energy 15 years ago without conducting any mining activities in the Mount Coffee Township particularly in Ben-Ben Town refused to leave the site.
He indicated that before Mr. Kollie started to mine in the area, he provided US$3,500 to the people of the Township as tradition demanded as a good will gesture to the people including 12 bundles of zincs and 25 bags of cements to build a school in Ben-Ben Town.
He pointed that the Ministry of Mines and Energy provided Surveyor to survey eight claims from the Waterside of the St. Paul River and also survey four claims toward the forest and began the mining process until 2021 when he discovered gold on his claim.
Chairperson Nuahn explained that when Mr. Kollie found little gold on the site, one Isaac G. Youngar came to claim the site and sued Mr. Kollie but the case was taken to court and Mr. Youngar could not provide any mining license; as a result, Mr. Kollie won the case against Youngar’s claimed. According to him, Mr. Youngar who lose the case, organized a criminal group to create confusion in the town which the Former Superintendent of Montserrado County Madam Florence Brandy intervened in the situation and it was brought to halt, adding that She warned them against causing confusion in Ben-Ben Town against Mr. Kollie. He disclosed that Mr. Kollie has also built his house in Ben-Ben Town and continue to mine until the Representative of the Electoral District #1, Rugie Yatu Barry, invited Mr. Kollie for discussion at which time she expressed her intention to form a partnership with him but he refused to establish any partnership with the Lawmaker, adding that he is a businessman and she is a politician so they can’t be working together as miners.
He noted that right after the visitation from the Representative’s office, some handful of citizens in Mount Coffee Township started agitating that Mr. Kollie should leave Ben-Ben Town which the Commissioner asked them why he should leave the town, but they insisted that he should just leave, as they started terrifying Ben-Ben Town which the Inspector General of the Liberia National Police sent some officers to restored calm but they were ambushed by single barrel guns and two officers sustained severe injuries. Chairperson Nuahn stressed that Inspector General Gregory Colemen then stationed some officers in the area after the incident but later on Representative Barry intervened and the officers were withdrawn from Ben-Ben Town.
Meanwhile, the Chairlady of Zala Town in the Township of Mount Coffee, Mamie Waye, said when Mr.Kollie has discovered gold on his field in Ben-Ben Town, suddenly, Mr. David Kol, CEO of the GEM Rocks Mining Resources, appeared in the town and he went to mines in the area where Mr. Kollie has been mining but the people of Ben-Ben Town said they do not know him and he has not met with the owner of the town, Mr. Sunday Ben-Ben.
Chairlady Waye stated that Mr. Kol is associated with the Deputy Minister for Operations at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Mr. William S. Hines and he was given exploration license nearly 16 years ago which he never did nothing like mining in Mount Coffee Township but when Mr. Kollie has discovered gold at his site in Ben-Ben Town they want him to get out of the place while he has obtained class B license by paying US$ 15,000 to mine in Mount Coffee Township after spending US$1,200 to survey the class-B license field with the Ministry of Mines and Energy but Mr.Kol continue to undermine the process by creating violence with Youngar’s group who are carrying out illicit mining activities in the area.
She noted that as the result of Mr.Kol action the progress and development of the Mount Coffee Township have been halted. She maintained that President Boakai should please intervene in their our situation. For his part, the Co-Chair of the Council at the Getoe Town, Cooper Binda said since the closure of the Mr. Kollie’s mining site which more of the workers were from Ben-Ben Town and other towns within the Mount Coffee Township, they are now jobless.
Co-Chair Binda alleged that Mr. Kol has been supported by Deputy Minister Hines to deny a Liberian such as Mr. Kollie from mining in Ben-Ben Town but fronting for a Canadian who should be doing exploration of minerals from Mount Coffee Township to Bomi County instead he wants to mine the area Mr. Kollie had been given a Class-B license to carry out his mining activities. He asserted that the current Minister of Mines and Energy, Richard Matenokay Tingbah has instituted measures to bring this situation under control which Mr. Kol continue to invade the process. However, the leadership of Mount Coffee Township has been going to the Ministry of Mines and Energy to resolve the problem but up to now no solution.
In a related development , the founder of Ben-Ben Town, Sunday Ben-Ben has narrated that he and his wife have been maltreated by the Youngar’s group and they have left the town as the result of advocating for Mr. Kollie who is the rightful owner of the mining site in Ben-Ben Town. Mr. Ben-Ben stated that he and his wife are not save to live in Ben-Ben Town currently but they have written Justice Ministry to seek justice for them.
He pointed out that Youngar’s group continue to create fear, intimidation and threaten the citizens of Mount Coffee Township which has forced Mr. Kollie to run for his life.
He then called on President Boakai to swiftly intervene and investigate what is currently unfolding in Ben-Ben Town but the Canadian national continue to threaten their livelihood.
This paper has in its possession all documents to substantiate the claims made against the Canadian National, Mr. David Kol.