Illegal Miner Invokes Biblical Curses on Military After Equipment Destruction

A dramatic and emotionally charged incident has unfolded in Ghana, where an illegal miner, commonly known as a ‘galamseyer’, has publicly invoked powerful biblical curses upon military personnel. The curses were hurled after the military reportedly stormed his mining site, destroying valuable machinery and equipment.

The scene, captured in a video widely circulated on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), shows the devastated miner reciting passages from Jeremiah 15:1-3. In his impassioned outburst, he accused the military team of unfair targeting, claiming that his site was singled out for destruction while ten other mining operations in the vicinity remained untouched.

Overwhelmed with pain and devastation at the loss of his property, particularly as he maintained that his operations did not pollute any water bodies, the miner’s voice resonated with raw emotion as he recited the scripture. He quoted: “Then the Lord said to me: ‘Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go! And if they ask you, “Where shall we go?” tell them, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Those destined for death, to death; those for the sword, to the sword; those for starvation, to starvation; those for captivity, to captivity.’ ‘I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,’ declares the Lord, ‘the sword to kill and the dogs to drag away, and the birds and the wild animals to devour and destroy.’”

The miner continued his fervent imprecations, directly addressing the military personnel involved: “If you were here for a general operation, that’s okay. But if you singled my site out for destruction, then you shall not go unpunished. Because of what you have done, I invoke affliction and misfortune upon you and your descendants. A disease that has no cure should afflict you. May the Lord cause your enemies to always defeat you in battle. May the Lord afflict your soul with pain. Whenever you board a vehicle, drink water, or eat food, may you know no peace. If you spend money from the proceeds of this gold, may you die. May our cries and sorrow turn into fire and consume you and your descendants. Whoever had a hand in this destruction—may a disease with no cure afflict you for the rest of your life.”

This emotional outpouring comes less than a week after a significant anti-illegal mining operation was launched by a joint task force. Comprising the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), the Forestry Commission, and the National Security Secretariat, the crackdown targeted illegal mining syndicates operating within the Offin Shelter Belt Reserve, located in the Nkawie Forest District. The operation, which underscores the government’s unwavering determination to eradicate ‘galamsey’, resulted in the seizure of 12 excavators, the arrest of five suspects including a Chinese national, and the recovery of two pump-action shotguns from the raided camps. The incident with the cursing miner highlights the intense and often volatile nature of the ongoing battle against illegal mining in Ghana.