Seven excavators and weapons were seized when a specialized intelligence unit at the Office of the President stormed an illegal mining concession in the Kwahu enclave.
According to a 3news.com report, ten Chinese nationals were arrested in the raid along with two Ghanaian accomplices.
They were picked up by the Counter Intelligence Unit, CIU, of the Office Of The President Annex, on Tuesday, July 26, 2022.
Intelligence-led operation was rolled out after a plea was lodged at the presidency by Kwahu Obomeng Chief, Nana Effah Opinamang, decrying the continued ravages that illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) was wreaking in his area.
The Operation Commander, Nii Nortey, warned that they will not rest on their oars in executing the President’s mandate to root out the galamsey menace.
“President Nana Akufo-Addo would not relent on his campaign to fight illegal mining. We want citizens to stop aiding foreign nationals especially Chinese to engage in illegal mining. It’s wrong. The excavators have been impounded.”
The chief in his letter stated among others, “Several security units such as Vanguard and the rest have come and gone but the illegal mining still persists.
“I hope this particular intelligence unit continues its work effectively. Cocoa production in the area has declined. Farmers are lobbied to give out farmlands for illegal mining in exchange for a few cedis. It’s disheartening.”
For his part, the Kwahu West Municipal Chief Executive, Lawyer Yaw Owusu Addo, commended the CIU for their efforts.
“I have been accused of engaging in mining but today I have been vindicated. Mining in itself isn’t illegal. But the way some people go about it, you must get a permit, mine, reclaim the land and plant trees. That’s responsible mining.”
Rev. Dr. CSP Samuel Nyamekye Adane-Ameyaw, the Nkawkaw Divisional Police Commander, also reiterated their caution to galamseyers to regularize their activities or desist from any illegal operations.
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“I am warning all those engaging in the illegal mining on land and in the river bodies, we will come after them. They cannot destroy natural resources illegally. They need permits. We will arrest and prosecute whoever is found guilty.”
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
