Authorities and landowning families in Nongowa Chiefdom are demanding justice and an impartial investigation after the Resident Minister for the Eastern Region, Gbessay Jusu Jaka Gobeh, was accused on Tuesday of undermining an ongoing parliamentary probe into competing mining claims in the chiefdom.
The allegations were made during a tense District Security Committee, PROSEC, meeting in Kenema on September 8, 2026, convened to address a dispute between JM Mining Kenema Company SL Limited, Nongowa Chiefdom authorities, and the Ministry of Mines.
According to multiple participants at the meeting, Mr. Gobeh told those present that he “only follows Government rules.” He also admitted, attendees said, that proper landowner consent was not obtained for Western Gold Mining Company and that fraudulent activities occurred in the application process.
Meeting accounts state the Resident Minister specifically referenced the alleged copying of the Paramount Chief’s signature and the use of his stamp “to shift blame away from the culprit.”
Mr. Gobeh further told the meeting he was acting on “alleged, not formal, instructions of the Executives,” and that Government had already granted an Exploration License to Western Gold Mining Company.
“The Paramount Chief has no choice but to accept it; otherwise, he has a problem with Government,” Mr. Gobeh was quoted as saying by those present.
That position drew immediate pushback from chiefdom authorities and JM Mining representatives. Critics argued it directly conflicted with work already underway by the Parliamentary Committee on Mines and Mineral Resources, which is conducting a Summons Hearing and Local Inquiry into the Nongowa dispute.
Representatives of JM Mining stressed that all parties should await the Committee’s preliminary report and resolutions. According to accounts from the meeting, the Resident Minister was “not interested” in waiting and pushed ahead.
Stakeholders alleged Mr. Gobeh mounted pressure on Nongowa Chiefdom authorities, landowning families, and other stakeholders to support Western Gold, even though the chiefdom had taken a position of non-consent pending the parliamentary outcome.
The Paramount Chief and legitimate Nongowa authorities, attendees said, insist that decisions on land and mining should be made freely, without political interference.
Landowning families told the meeting they continue to support JM Mining’s original concession and want it to continue its work. They said that position was never resolved because of the stance taken by the Resident Minister.
Questions were also raised about documentation. The Paramount Chief and chiefdom authorities demanded copies of exploration agreements, landowners’ lease agreements, environmental approvals, and records of community consultation for Western Gold.
Meeting accounts state that the Resident Minister acknowledged the Paramount Chief’s signature was manipulated, but dismissed its importance.
Attendees described the PROSEC session as “stage-managed,” with the Resident Minister reading directives “off hand” without documentary proof or reference to parliamentary resolutions as required by law.
They further alleged that landowners were not allowed to express dissatisfaction over how some families were allegedly manipulated by Western Gold through fake documents not signed by them. Apparently fraudulent or fake Lease Contracts were said to be circulating without transparent presentation.
The Paramount Chief was, according to those present, openly disregarded and referred to by the Resident Minister as someone “undermining Government” after presenting the chiefdom’s preferred position of non-consent.
“Mining-related decisions should be reached through consultation, dialogue and lawful procedures,” one stakeholder told the meeting. “Instead, pressure was applied to landowners and traditional authorities.”
Several attendees said the Resident Minister threatened to “deal with” anyone who went against his directives.
Nongowa stakeholders are now calling for an impartial, transparent meeting involving landowning families, the Paramount Chief, chiefdom authorities, government representatives, the Mines and Minerals Development Agency, JM Mining and Western Gold to resolve the dispute.
They argued that any company seeking to operate in Nongowa must demonstrate compliance with Sierra Leone’s mining and land laws, and that respect for the rule of law was “totally neglected” at Tuesday’s meeting.
“The central issue should be the protection of land rights and interests of Nongowa communities, not the interests of any single company,” stakeholders maintained.
Neither the Resident Minister’s office nor Western Gold Mining Company had issued a formal response by press time.
The Parliamentary Committee on Mines and Mineral Resources is expected to release its preliminary report in the coming days.
The dispute highlights growing tension in Kenema District over how mining concessions are granted, and whether traditional consent and parliamentary oversight are being sidelined in favor of executive directives.