A group formed by the Eastern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) captured eight illegal miners and seized a lot of mining equipment in the districts of Denkyembuor, Atiwa West, Fanteakwa, and Ayensuano.
The operation took place on Friday, with police and military teams from the Eastern Regional Police Command and the Southern Command working together.
They confiscated items like 24 excavator batteries, 16 pumping machines, a chainsaw, 3 monitors, 5 control boards, 3 single-barrelled guns, 2 pump-action rifles, some cartridges, and GH₵3,000 in cash.
Afterward, Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey called the operation a success. She affirmed to the media that President John Mahama is dedicated to stopping illegal mining activities.
For the past days, we have been combing the Eastern region with our military and police to make sure the mandate by the president is obeyed.
The minister announced that the government is taking strong action to make sure clean water sources are available for the Ghana Water Company Limited. This action is focused on stopping illegal activities that threaten these water sources.
She assured everyone that security forces would stay on duty until illegal mining activities were completely stopped and the environment returned to its natural, healthy state.
Furthermore, she mentioned that any equipment taken during these operations will be held securely until the president provides further instructions. People caught engaging in illegal activities will be prosecuted in court.
She said;
If you go around, our waters are so bad, the environment is destroyed, pits are uncovered, and our forest is being destroyed. It is a hazard to our nation and the region, so for the few days our men have been on the ground, and here you are with several excavators that have been seized from them.
For the past days, we’ve been to our service providers, especially water works, because we don’t have clean water, and it’s become a problem for us in our communities.
We are telling the people that the men are on the ground; they’re not leaving anytime soon until we stop the illegal mining and the environment is cleared.
They’re not disappearing because it is the excavators that are used to destroy the environment, and anytime we leave it for the people, they are going back into the forest; we’re keeping it until the president directs us on what we should do with it.
We’re leaving them to the law to take its own course, so whatever the law says about what they’ve done, we leave it to them.
We have said that our government will not burn any excavator, but if the orders come that we should use it to work in the region, we can use it.
NKONKONSA.com
