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A task force established by the Eastern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has arrested eight illegal miners and confiscated numerous pieces of mining equipment in the Denkyembuor, Atiwa West, Fanteakwa, and Ayensuano districts.
The operation, conducted on Friday, involved a joint police-military team from the Eastern Regional Police Command and the Southern Command.
Among the seized items were 24 excavator batteries, 16 pumping machines, a chainsaw, 3 monitors, 5 control boards, 3 single-barrelled guns, 2 pump-action rifles, cartridges, and GH₵3,000 in cash.
Following the operation, Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey described the exercise as successful and reiterated President John Mahama’s dedication to combating illegal mining when speaking to the media.
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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.
She highlighted the environmental devastation caused by illegal mining, stating:
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.
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The minister explained that the crackdown aligns with the government’s efforts to ensure clean water sources for the Ghana Water Company Limited.
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.
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She assured the public that security forces would remain deployed until illegal mining is halted and the environment restored:
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.
Additionally, she confirmed that all seized equipment would be retained pending presidential directives, and suspects would face prosecution:
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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.
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Unlike previous administrations that destroyed seized excavators, the minister emphasised:
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.
The arrested persons will be put before the law.