164 Arrested Illegal Miners Face Prosecution

The 164 suspected illegal foreign miners arrested last Thursday, September 15, at Anyinam and Mampong , in the Eastern Region, during a swoop, are set for prosecution, after they were handed over for processing.

The suspects are expected to be arraigned in court this week, after successful screening and scrutiny of their traveling documents by the Ghana Immigration.

The suspects, comprises 159 males and five females, mostly foreigners from Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali and Ivory Coast, were arrested by a military anti-galamsey taskforce, Operation Halt II.

The swoop, conducted by the Ghana Armed Forces, formed part of the government’s renewed fight against illegal small-scale mining, notoriously called “galamsey.”

A Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker, addressing journalists when the suspects were brought to Accra for processing and prosecution, commended the taskforce for acting swiftly on the ministry’s directive to clamp down on both local and foreign nationals involved in illicit mining.

Mr. Mireku Duker assured that they would be handed over to the police and other relevant authorities for processing and prosecution.

“We asked the security agencies to conduct a massive operation to get these foreign nationals who have invaded our environment.

“These are people from neighbouring countries who have invaded mining concessions near river bodies in this country,” Mr. Duker, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Tarkwa-Nsuaem Constituency in the Western Region, noted.

He said, “I want to commend them Ministry for the efforts they have shown to arrest 164 illegal miners. They also have people who are providing other services. One of them confessed that she is happy they have been arrested as she was trafficked to Ghana.”

Mr. Duker added, “We will hand them over to the appropriate authorities for them to take the necessary actions.”

The deputy minister admonished recalcitrant individuals and groups still engaging in illegal mining business to shun their activities and cautioned that the”law would take its full course when arrested.”

Source: Anchorghana