Tag: Galamsey

Fourteen(14) persons are in the grips of the Ashanti Regional Police Command for chasing some illegal miners from a mining site at Ntobroso in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti region, resulting in the death of one.

The group, who had stormed the mining town in two Toyota Prado Land Cruiser vehicles posing as a task force from the Minerals Commission are alleged to have been terrorizing and extorting money and gold from artisanal miners in that area for a long time, but luck eluded them on Wednesday.

One illegal miner died when he fell and drowned in the Offin River while fleeing from the group who had stormed the mining site in their two vehicles clad in security accouterments and wielding guns.

The deceased, popularly known as Nana Addo was a cobbler at Asuoyeboah, a suburb of the Kwadaso Municipality who had gone to the mining area in the company of other young men for greener pastures after he was unable to operate his shop during the 3 week lockdown on the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area.

Speaking on Kumasi-based Angel FM on Thursday, Oboy Emma, a mobile phone seller at Adum Kumasi who was with the deceased hunting for gold when the group stormed the site said the disease fell in the river in his attempt to flee from the fierce group; they were two that jumped into the river but the other survived.

Youth of the Ntobroso town barricaded the road and accosted the group when they tried fleeing after noticing the death of the young man; their two land cruisers were seized and vandalized.

The District Chief Executive for Atwima Mponua, Hon Williams Darko said it took the intervention of the chief of Ntobroso to whisk the group of 14 into his palace for cover before the youth could lynch them.

He indicated that they have been arrested, fourteen in all and handed over to the Ashanti Regional Police Command.

Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. Simon Osei Mensah says the matter is being investigated and whoever falls foul before the law would not be spared after it was suggested to him that the group had links to the government and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Source: My News GH

A 37-year-old illegal miner has died after a mining pit caved in.

The incident occurred Friday, May 1, 2020, at Akyem Mampong in the Atiwa East District of the Eastern Region

Information gathered by Starr News indicates that the deceased Razak Bempong and other illegal miners were illegally mining in a pit mined by Gold Bank Mining Limited. While mining, the pit caved in trapping the deceased but others managed to escape.

He was extricated from the pit but pronounced dead on arrival at Enyiresi Government Hospital.

The Anyinam Police has commenced an investigation into the incident.

In a related development, a 15-year-old Boy, Bright Mensah, has drowned in an abandoned illegal mining pit at Amuanapraso, a farming community in Birim North District of the Eastern region.

According to distraught parents of the deceased, he left home on April 30, 2020, that was he going to visit a family member in the community but did not return.

A search by the local Police and the youth led to the discovery of the body in the mining pit filled with water.

Preliminary investigation indicates that children in the community sneak to swim in the pit therefore it is suspected that the deceased went swimming with his friend but got drowned.

His body has been deposited at Holy Family Hospital Mortuary.

Source: Starr FM

The Constituency Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region, Mr. Samuel Akainyah has led the District Police Command to arrest three suspected illegal miners popularly called “galamseyers” operating in three communities.

They were apprehended in an operation conducted by the Command upon a tip-off and complaint by the Constituency Chairman to protect the environment from being destroyed.

The suspects and their accomplices who managed to escape from arrest, started their operations somewhere in August 2019, at Anwia, Teleku-Bokazo and Nkroful, have polluted the River Subri, their main source of drinking water.

It would be recalled that the last three weeks the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area led the District Police Command to seize seven Excavators from the areas.

But in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb’s Western Regional Correspondent Daniel Kaku after the arrest at the Esisma Police Station, the NPP Constituency Chairman Samuel Akainyah disclosed why he led the police to arrest the suspected Galamseyers.

He said some residents in the area complained to him after the operation by the DCE and the police that some residents were using the seized excavators to destroy the land.

He added that after realizing that the fight against the galamsey could not be done by President Akufo-Addo alone, he quickly reported the case to the District Police Commander and according to him, the Commander instructed his men together with him to storm the galamsey sites.

The Chairman said he would not sit aloof and allow some selfish people to destroy the land.

He could not fathomed why the seized seven excavators could be used by the galamseyers for their illegalities.

The Chairman who suspected the DCE might have allowed the galamseyers to return to the sites, called on the three communities to rally behind the government in the fight against illegal mining.

He, therefore, took the opportunity to call on the three communities to support government to fight the menace.

“Fighting against galamsey is a shed responsibility and government alone can fight it so I will call on these three Communities to support the fight to protect the water”, he emphasized.

He added, “In fact I don’t understand why the Excavators which were seized by the DCE three weeks ago and we went to same areas and these Galamseyers were using it and Daniel Kaku I will urge you to demand answer from the DCE”.

He also used the opportunity to advise the youth involving in the galamsey activities to stop it.

On the way forward, the Chairman advised the youth to refrain from galamsey as government will soon roll out the Community Mining programme in the area.

When contacted the DCE Mr. Kwasi Bonzoh said he met owners of the seven excavators and asked them to reclaim the land.

Mr. Bonzoh explained that he could not remove the excavators from the site to a different location was that the galamseyers were able to remove the control boards from them.

He vehemently debunked rumours circulating on social media that he was involved in the galamsey activities.

He, therefore, challenged anybody with evidence that he DCE was neck deep in the galamsey operations.

He applauded the Chairman and other Constituency executives for their resolve to kick against the menace.

He, therefore, warned all chiefs and other residents to desist from doing galamsey in the district adding that, anybody found in the activities would not be spared.

On his part, the District Police Commander DSP Thomas Bayor explained why the galamseyers returned to the sites after their first operations.

He said his men were few and also they lack logistics to fight the galamseyers and therefore calling for assistance from the government to stop them for good.

The police has promised to investigate the three suspected galamseyers and act accordingly.

A visit by GhanaWeb’s Western Regional Correspondent Daniel Kaku to these galamsey sites, confirm that the ‘Subre’ river which is a source of drinking water to these three Communities (Anwia, Teleku-Bokazo and Nkroful), has been polluted beyond any measure.

The galamsey operations were also affecting residents and giving them sleepless nights as the galamsey sites were closer to their places of abode.

Some residents who spoke to Daniel Kaku were appealing to government to, as a matter of urgency, bring back Operation Vanguard to the sites to stop the Galamseyers and stop relying on the Ellembelle District Police Command alone.

source: ghanaweb.com

Members of the National Concerned Drivers Association have threatened to stage a demonstration against the government during the 63rd Independence Day Celebration in Kumasi on Friday, 6 March 2020 over the incarceration of some of their colleagues arrested by operation vanguard in the fight against galamsey.

The concerned drivers are calling on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to order the release of their fellow drivers who they claim were just hired to drive trucks at galamsey site while the big names involved in act have gone unpunished.

According to the Eastern regional Chairman of the Association, Nana Owiredu, “Our colleagues were never involved in any illegal mining activity, neither did they own any of the excavators used at the site, none of them owns a galamsey site either.”

“We are asking the President to as matter of urgency release these innocent souls who are pillars within their families to go home. We are calling on the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to come to our aid,” he added.

The Youth Wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called for the investigation and prosecution of the National Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NDC), Henry Nana Boakye alias Nana B over his alleged involvement in illegal mining ‘galamsey’.

This was after they took note of a video recording of Kennedy Agyapong MP for Assin North, accusing Nana B of being a galamsey kingpin.

Ghana has in the past few months seen a resurgence of illegal small scale mining, an activity which was curbed following a fierce campaign waged by government in collaboration with the media and civil society organisations.

This has been worsened by some missing excavators seized by the Operation Vanguard as part of the clamp-down on illegal mining, triggering a probe by the Police Criminal Investigations Department.

In a release signed by National Youth Organizer of the party George Opare Addo, they said “ordinarily we won’t take the accusation very seriously because Hon. Kennedy Agyepong makes a lot of unsubstantiated allegations but because of the sensitive nature of these particular allegations and how excavators have gone missing it is worth looking into.”

Below is the full statement:

INVESTIGATE & PROSECUTE NANA B FOR INVOLVEMENT IN ILLEGAL MINING – NDC YOUTH

The Youth Wing of the National Democratic Congress has taken note of a video recording of Hon Kennedy Agyapong MP for Assin North, accusing the National Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party, Henry Nana Boakye alias Nana B of being a galamsey kingpin. Ordinarily, we won’t take the accusation very serious because Hon. Kennedy Agyepong makes a lot of unsubstantiated allegations but because of the sensitive nature of these particular allegations and how excavators have gone missing, it is worth looking into.

We implore the necessary state institutions to look into the matter and prosecute Nana B if he is found culpable.

We condemn the involvement of the leader of the NPP Youth Wing in galamsey (illegal mining). This unpatriotic action alone has the potential to derail the progress made to protect our environment. We are even more scandalized that such a character still has the temerity to speak ill of distinguished statesmen when he himself is not clean.

Considering this allegation is coming from a leading member of the NPP, we are certain there must be an iota of truth in the matter and he must be investigated and brought to book. After all, our elders “If the frog tells you that the crocodile is dead, do not doubt it.”

Amidst the mind-boggling instance of missing galamsey equipment and excavators, we cannot have another scandal of a public personality actively practicing and endorsing this harmful practice. Many young people who were involved in artisanal mining have been out of work since the clam down by government on so-called illegal mining. It is therefore surprising that some members of this government have taken the back road and engage in the same activities.

The effect of illegal mining on our environment has been the subject of many media reportage and concern to Ghanaians. A few weeks ago, the National Democratic Congress led by our National Communications Officer, Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi proved to the whole world how this government misled Ghanaians about its fight against illegal mining only for its officials to use same to enrich themselves and resource their party.

Without mincing words, we call on the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department and the Office of the Special Prosecutor to conduct investigations into the matter. Public personalities like Nana B must not hide under the cloak of their party, and power to plunder the nation and destroys our environment. His indictment will serve as a deterrent to other young politicians who may have misguided notions of what public service is. If Nana B believes he is above the law because his party is in power, he will have the Youth of Ghana to answer to.

Issued by

George Opare Addo,

National Youth Organizer,

National Democratic Congress.

Source: primenewsghana.com

The Member of Parliament for Manso-Adubia Constituency, Mr. Yaw Frimpong Addo has rubbished suggestions that illegal mining activities popularly known as galamsey is back.

The legislator opined that persons who are currently working are only engaging in licensed small scale mining.

The current administration, he disclosed has done a lot of work in preventing all forms of illegal mining across the country.

Mr. Yaw Frimpong Addo said the fight against galamsey is not a week affair because it will take a lot of time for government to deal with the matter holistically.

The previous NDC administration he said tried their best stop galamsey but failed.

The NPP has however done its best in putting in place structures to license small-scale miners to engage in responsible mining.

President Akufo-Addo he added has shown enough commitment in ending galamsey, hence the need for Ghanaians to have patience since t5he fight will not be an easy one.

The MP who is also the Chairman for the Mines and Energy Committee said taking the minerals out should not lead to the pollution of our water bodies and the destruction of our forests.

In January 2017, the Government of Ghana placed a ban on small-scale mining for six months following widespread pollution of water bodies. The ban was, however, extended in October 2017 for another three months.

President Akufo-Addo delivering his station of the nation address said, his government will not weaken its stance on galamsey and that anyone found culpable irrespective of class or party affiliation will be dealt with.

Source: rainbowradioonline.com

Members of the National Concerned Drivers Association have reiterated their call the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to order the release of their fellow drivers who were just hired to drive trucks at Galamsey site while according to them, the big names behind galamsey have gone unpunished.

The drivers say their colleagues were never involved in any illegal mining activity, neither did they own any of the excavators used at the site.

The drivers say their search has revealed that 32 of their colleagues who drove excavators were arrested by the operation vanguard and are currently in police custody.

The drivers in a statement have threatened that if their colleagues are not released before 6 March 2020, “then we have no option than to match the President boot for boot in Kumasi no matter the number of Delta Force, [nothing] will deter us, we say all die be die.”

The group said they are ready to put their lives on the line to fight for the freedom of ordinary drivers in the country.

They have also called on the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to put the blame on the corridors of the President should any blood spills in Kumasi during the 6 March Independence celebrations.

Source: classfmonline.com

The recent loss of the excavators in the country did not constitute the total failure of the fight against galamsey – the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has stated.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra yesterday, Mr Yaw Buaben Asamoah, Director of Communications of the NPP, refuted the claims by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the NPP was not delivering on its mandate of eradicating galamsey in the country.

He said the party had left the case of the excavators to the police to handle and was wholeheartedly supporting the police to find out where the excavators were and how they went missing.

Mr Yaw Buaben Asamoah stated that despite the absence of the excavators, the NPP-led government had and was making significant strides in the fight against illegal mining through the policies and strategies implemented by the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Illegal Mining (IMCIM).

“Through IMCIM, 4500 miners had been trained on good mining practices, a galamsey software application had been established to aid in the fight against galamsey, and 900 out of 1,300 small scale miners had been vetted and provided with QR codes to allow for easy monitoring and evaluation,” Mr Asamoah added.

He stated that aside this, the committee had built the capacity of regulatory agencies and inculcated the use of technology to support mining activities and to monitor illegal mining activities.

Mr Asamoah added that alternative livelihood programmes were instituted in 35 districts in 10 regions affected by illegal mining and 140 NaBCo graduates were trained in drone technology to monitor 70 districts to provide data on mining activities in the area.

“We have also proceeded with the implementation of the Community Mining Programme (CMP) where 300 mining concessions had been demarcated throughout the country for this programme in areas like Birim North, Ashanti Akim, Mpohor, Adansi and Akrofuom districts,” he added.

We had also built CHIPS compounds in those areas to ensure that the miners had access to healthcare, adding that, the decentralisation process had begun to reduce the application process for licenses and permits for small scale mining, the Communications Director stated.

He further called on the NDC to provide concrete proof that the government was not effectively fighting galamsey and asked why the NDC was commenting heavily on galamsey and not on other issues like the Togoland issues, the creation of the new regions, the success of the Year of Return and the settlement of the arrears of the Oil Marketing Companies (OMC).

Source: allafrica.com

The largest opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC) has demanded a public exhibition of the excavators, weapons and mining equipment seized from illegal miners.

Their call comes in the wake of reports of some 500 excavators which were seized by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining going missing.

At a press conference at the banks of the brownish River Prah in the Central Region, the Communications Officer of the NDC Sammy Gyamfi accused President Akufo Addo of sitting unconcerned as top members of his party engage in illegality with impunity.

“…That a total of 2779 weapons and ammunition has been seized from illegal miners. We are demanding that government accounts for all these seized items.”

Source: kasapafmonline.com

The Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini has asked the leadership of Parliament to summon the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, over the fight against illegal mining.

According to him, the call for the House to be briefed on the matter is crucial especially at a time when there is the issue of missing excavators.

“Given the report that we are getting in the media and the concerns that people are raising as far as this fight is concerned, it is important because we all know how relevant the successful campaign is to our very existence.”

“Mr. Speaker I will plead with the Majority Leader to if possible make space for the Minister of Environment and Science to brief the nation on the successes chalked as far as the fight against illegal mining is concerned to put at ease the minds of people who genuinely supported the campaign over the reports that we have been hearing of recently.”

Most recently, the inability of the government to account for hundreds of seized excavators has sparked allegations of state complicity in illegal mining.

In addition to the current controversy over the excavators, the Concerned Small Scale Miners Association has called for accounts of gold seized from illegal miners.

The leadership of the Association has also said it will petition President Nana Akufo-Addo to widen the probe into the alleged corruption that accompanied the crackdown on illegal mining.

It wants a probe into the whereabouts of gold that were seized from illegal small scale miners.

Action so far

So far, six persons have been arrested in connection with the missing excavators. They have all been granted bail.

The six include the suspended First Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party in the Central Region, Horace Ekow Ewusi.

They have been cautioned with the offence of stealing and abetment to stealing.

According to the CID, the five others arrested individuals are alleged accomplices of Ekow Ewusi, who was contracted to take custody of the seized equipment.

Background

The controversy began when the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng said most of the excavators that were seized from illegal miners had vanished.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng subsequently wrote a letter to the Police CID to investigate Horace Ekow Ewusi over his alleged involvement in the missing earth-moving equipment.

Ekow Ewusi was contracted by the government to cart excavators and other vehicles and pieces of equipment seized by the anti-illegal mining task force to designated areas for safekeeping.

Source: citinewsroom 

The Special Advisor to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Benjamin Aryee, has underscored the need for the government to take a holistic look at the approach it adopted in the fight against illegal mining if the desired impact is to be made.

He said better results would have been achieved if the government had incorporated the Ghana National Association of Small-scale Miners (GNASSM) in the strategy to tackle the menace, instead of the wholesale ban on all forms of small-scale mining.

Eliminating child labour

Mr Aryee made the observation in an interview with the Daily Graphic at the ongoing international workshop on eliminating child labour in the mining sector in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.

The workshop, under the auspices of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), has drawn participants from Ghana, Nigeria, Mali and Cote d’Ivoire.

“Considering what the government has done so far in fighting ‘galamsey’ and the results that are showing, I am of the view that we left out the licensed small-scale miners too much in the approach that was adopted,” he said.

According to him, the government had a point in taking drastic measures to fight the menace because it was difficult to identify legitimate and illegitimate small-scale miners under the crisis situation.

Small-scale miners

“If we had looked at what existed a bit more, we could have found out that there were legitimate operators who were even fighting illegalities in the small-scale mining sector in their own small way,” Mr Aryee said.

Touching on the International Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) and whether or not it was still relevant, he said it was time for a decision to be taken on the status of the committee in the scheme of things.

“The IMCIM was not put in place to be permanent because it was an interim thing to deal with the crisis. We will have to transit to legally mandated state institutions such as the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” he said.

GNASSM vindicated

Meanwhile, the Director of Operations of the GNASSM, Mr Emmanuel Yirenkyi Antwi, said the mixed results from the fight against illegal mining had vindicated the association.

“During the call for a ban on all forms of small-scale mining, we stated categorically that if there was a wholesale ban, the government would set aside the law that regulated small-scale mining and that we felt discriminated against because large-scale miners were left untouched,” he said.

“I want to place on record that GNASSM supports the fight against illegal mining and that we will promote responsible mining. However, we were and still are against the wholesale ban on all forms of small-scale mining,” he said.

He said the time had come for the IMCIM to make way for the mandated state institutions to resume their duties because “the results we have from the ‘galamsey’ fight are not commensurate with the efforts put into the fight”.

Background

During the period of the ban, which lasted until December 14, 2018, when it was lifted, hundreds of excavators, chanfan machines and other equipment were seized by the Operation Vanguard team.

However, a year after the lifting of the ban, many people and institutions are of the view that the ‘galamsey’ fight had been a wild goose chase, especially in the wake of the brouhaha that some 500 excavators that were seized could not be accounted for.

Reports of the widespread resurgence of illegal mining had also left many people casting a negative verdict on the fight against the menace.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

A video making the rounds on social media seems to have questioned government’s willingness and commitment in the fight against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey in the country.

In the video, Horace Ekow Ewusi, the NPP former Vice Chairman of the Agona West Constituency, is heard discussing with Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, how they can engage with some party folks on some mining concessions in order to raise money from the activity to support the party.

Reacting to this on UTV, National 3rd Vice Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Micheal Omari Wadie said: “I have a problem with the fact that a Regional Chairman of the party will deliberately record a conversation with the Minister…the conversation that went on (in the video) wasn’t for public consumption”

Member of Parliament for Abura Asebu Kwamankese Constituency, Elvis Morris Donkoh has asked the general public to ignore reports suggesting he purchased one of the missing excavators.

In a Facebook post, he entreated the public to disregard such publication as it only seeks to dent his hard earned reputation and that of Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister of Information.

Read his full statement below.

Hon Elvis Morris Donkoh Writes:

My attention has been drawn to a statement which has been circulated widely in the media landscape with the above caption purporting to be coming from my good self and the office I occupy.

This I believe is a calculated agenda aimed at damaging my reputation in the minds of right thinking members of my Constituents.

I find this intriguing and cruelty from my naysayers who are nothing short of doomsday pretenders and sentimental charlatans.

Well-meaning Ghanaians should treat such a statement with the greatest of contempt it deserves as no agenda occasioned against me will subject me to public ridicule.

The statement I see further as malicious and could be best described as false misrepresentation of facts and the office I occupy as it is aimed at ridiculing the harmonious relationship I have with officers and members of the party.

The circulated statement is not only *FAKE* but poor in logical reasoning, factually empty and consistently inaccurate.

Signed

Hon Elvis Morris Donkoh

MP- Abura Asebu Kwamankese

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Member Of Parliament for Abura Asebu Kwamankese Constituency Elvis Morris Donkoh, has allegedly confessed securing one of the missing excavators, the ghanaiandemocrat.com reports.

In the press release purported to be from the MP, he details how Prof Frimpong Boateng linked him up with Ekow Ewusi from whom he purchased the excavator.

Full press statement

My attention has been drawn to a video in circulation purported to be secretly recorded and released to the public domain by Mr. Horace Ekow Ewusi, 1st Vice Chairman of the NPP and his accomplices where my name has been mentioned and some allegations levelled against my personality.

I want to take this medium to set the records straight and establish every fact behind this matter with all dignity;

I needed an excavator to buy so I discussed it with Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah in his office somewhere 2017. He asked me to contact Prof. Frimpong Boateng and he can introduce me to someone for a genuine business.

I went to see Prof. Frimpong Boateng, he accepted it and told me to exercise some level of patience because some new excavators were ceased from three Chinese galamseyers so he will consult Mr. Horace Ekow Ewusi and get back to me.

In an attempt to get the machine with all alacrity, I consulted Mr. Ekow Ewusi and he equally confirmed that some ceased excavators from three Chinese galamseyers are ready to be auctioned.

Myself and Mr. Ekow Ewusi went to see the excavators and I agreed to buy one at a cost of Ghc200,000 which payment and delivery were made to that effect on that very day.

After owning the excavator, the necessary documentations were made and up to date every document at my disposal is genuine.

Therefore, I want to state this clearly without any ambiguity that, I have no hand in this galamsey matter and I would advice Mr. Ekow Ewusi to put my name to rest.

This is an attempt by Mr. Ekow Ewusi to undermine my hard-earned reputation all in the name of contest in Abura Asebu Kwamankese constituency. I want to advice him to rather concentrate on his suspension and allow the necessary investigations into the matter at hand.

I want to assure my party members and the constituents at large to continue to have faith in me as their member of parliament and I promise to be faithful and loyal to them for a better future.

Thank you.

Hon. Elvis Morris Donkoh Member Of Parliament Abura Asebu Kwamankese Constituency

Cc: All media houses.

Source: ghanaiandemocrat.com

Lead campaigner of the Media Coalition against illegal mining, Ken Ashigbey has raised concerns over the circumstances that led to the controversial disappearance of excavators and other seized equipment from illegal miners in the country.

He believes that the inability of the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, to even provide the exact number of the missing excavators is a clear indication of his [Minister] total loss of control of his core mandate.

On the Point of View on Wednesday, the media advocate in the fight against illegal mining was worried and expressed regret at the current turn of events.

Mr. Ashigbey, therefore, implored the government to tackle the issue with the highest form of seriousness and take decisive steps to prove its commitment to settle the saga.

“My pain is hearing the Chairman of the Inter-ministerial committee say that the excavators are missing. He said it in a way suggesting that nothing else was being done. It had to take a statement that was issued before we realized that all these actions were being taken. The very roadmap on illegal mining had mentioned that excavators were going to be registered, carted and tagged so for me, the inter-ministerial committee should take the issue of the missing excavators very seriously. The Minister did not even tell us what the number of the missing excavators was so definitely for me, I realized at that point that, we were missing the plot.”

Missing excavators and arrest

Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation and also Chairperson for the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), disclosed recently that most of the excavators that were seized from illegal miners had vanished.

He subsequently petitioned the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service to investigate the suspended First Vice Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party, Horace Ekow Ewusi over his alleged involvement in the missing earth-moving equipment.

Ekow Ewusi was contracted by the government to cart excavators and other vehicles and pieces of equipment seized by Operation Vanguard to designated areas for safekeeping.

So far, six persons arrested over the disappearance of the missing equipment been granted bail.

The six, including Ekow Ewusi, have been cautioned with the offence of stealing and abetment to stealing.

Past history

It will be recalled that, at the peak of the fight against illegal mining between 2017 and 2018, about five hundred earth-moving machines were seized by the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry.

The then sector Minister, John Peter Amewu who sanctioned the seizure directed them to be parked at the premises of the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

Source: citinewsroom 

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service probing into the 500 missing excavators seized in the clampdown of illegal mining, has invited the Agona West constituency chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kojo Addo, for questioning.

He was invited by the CID, Tuesday, afternoon, when he was attending to some issues in the constituency.

Inside sources say the Agona West constituency NPP chairman is the right hand man of Mr. Horace Ekow Ewusi, who was suspended from the position of First Vice-Chair of the Central Region of the elephant family for gross disrespect and perjury.

He is alleged to have had a hand in the missing excavators, hence, the invitation to assist the CID to unravel the circumstances that lead to the missing of the earth moving equipment.

He is further to assist the Police to identify all the accomplices in connection to the deal that has put the government and the Operation Vanguard team in a very bad taste.

On Monday, February 3, 2020, the CID picked up Mr. Ekow Ewusi, who is one of the leaders of Operation Vanguard, for interrogation over his role in the missing excavators and other equipment seized from illegal miners.

His arrest was triggered by a request from the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, to the Director General, CID Headquarters, Accra, to commence investigations into the missing excavators and some other equipment.

“Mr. Ekow Ewusi was contracted to cart excavators and other vehicles and pieces of equipment seized by Operation Vanguard to designated areas for safe keeping. We have received information that he sent an unknown number of equipment to unauthorized locations, including one in Tema. This was confirmed by the caretaker of the depot in Tema. Information reaching me indicates that he has sold an unknown number of the pieces of equipment, including excavators. I wish to appeal to the Police Authorities to investigate the matter”, the letter dated February 3, 2020, and requesting the Police to probe into matter in part read.

Following his arrest, the names of some persons believed to be his friends who have ample knowledge and at a point played a role in moving the excavators from its authorized location, have popped up.

One of such persons is the Agona West Constituency NPP chair who allegedly played a leading role in organizing some people to stage series of demonstrations against executives of the Central Regional NPP for suspending Mr. Ekow Ewusi.

Source: Kasapafmonline.com

Six Chinese nationals have been arrested by the Awutu Bereku District Police Command for assaulting a 40-year-old Ghanaian employee, Baba Amadu at Awutu Bosom Abena in the Central Region.

The victim is battling for his life after he was handcuffed, hanged on a tree and brutalized till he started vomiting blood.

Baba Amadu, a worker at the J. F Stone quarry owned by the Chinese nationals narrated to Kasapa New Yaw Boagyan that a supervisor ordered him to offload stones to one of the machines not knowing that one Chinese man was wielding a damaged part of the machine.

According to him, the Chinese man came out of the machine and he informed his other colleagues and he was sacked immediately.

“I was called back today to come and continue my work, upon reaching the yard, the Chinese men who had ambushed the compound handcuffed me, hanged me on a tree, fired a warning shot close to my eyes and beat me mercilessly till I went unconscious,” he narrated.

The senior brother of the victim, Kweku Gyatey expressed fear that his brother could die any moment from now because he is having internal bleeding as well as vomiting blood.

Meanwhile, the Chinese suspects have been arrested by Awutu Beraku District Police Command.

Source: Kasapafmonline.com

Two men, described by the police as “illegal miners,” have been confirmed dead, while others sustained injuries after an abandoned mining pit collapsed on them at dawn last Tuesday.

The incident happened at Panyinikrom, a farming community near Kyeremasu in the Dormaa East District in the Bono Region.

The police identified the deceased as Patrick Osei, popularly known as Atta Small, 37, and Kofi Tutu, 25.

The two suspected illegal miners were said to have gone to the abandoned galamsey site with others to engage in illegal mining.

Loose compact of sand

The Bono Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Chief Inspector Augustine Kingsley Oppong, told the Daily Graphic that while they were busy digging for gold in the abandoned pit, a loose compact of sand caved in and trapped them, leading to their death.

The Daily Graphic also gathered that there were about seven illegal miners in the pit at the time of the unfortunate incident.

Although their colleagues managed to come out, luck eluded the two who were unable to do so.

Their colleagues, however, bolted and left them to their fate after realising that they could not come out of the pit.

Police briefing

Chief Inspector Oppong said the fate of the two was similar to being buried alive, saying the police with the help of some community members, managed to retrieve the bodies from the pit.

He explained that a relative of the deceased, Mr Thomas Asamoah Yeboah, a carpenter at Kyeremasu, accompanied by Martin Kwasi Yeboah and two others, called at the charge office to report the incident.

“The relatives of the deceased told the police that they had information that their brothers were trapped in the abandoned galamsey pit while prospecting for gold,” he stated.

Chief Inspector Oppong said when the police inspected the bodies, there were no marks of assault on them.

He said the police also conducted a search at the scene to find out whether there were more casualties and the cause of the collapse but did not find additional bodies.

Chief Inspector Oppong said the police realised that part of the loose compact of sand had collapsed but nothing incriminating was found at the scene.

He said the bodies had been deposited at the Dormaa-Ahenkro Presbyterian Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining has appealed to the media and stakeholders to step up advocacy against galamsey as the 2020 elections approaches.

Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, Project Coordinator for the Committee, Dr Naa Dedei Tagoe said since 2020 is an election year, the miners can blackmail the appointees of the government with votes.

Read: Galamsey forcing GWCL to consider shutting down Daboase plant

This, she said could erode all the gains made in the fight so far, hence the need for the media and other stakeholders to keep the advocacy on.

Dr Tagoe argued that illegal mining is a fight that needs to be sustained adding “the people on the ground need to know that we are serious about it.”

Reports however, say the menace is back after it was quelled months ago due to a joint police-military taskforce, Operation Vanguard and a total ban on small-scale mining altogether.

The ban on small-scale mining has since been lifted.

Meanwhile a former Deputy Finance Minister Mona Quartey, who is currently a Director of Golden Star Resources, has charged the Committee to vividly illustrate to local communities that engaging in illegal mining activities is destroying their communal resources.

Read: Sack MMDCEs of galamsey-prone areas Ken Ashigbey

Speaking on Newsfile, she said they could even use visuals to show them how their communities would look after the devastating effects of illegal mining hits.

“The people who do the mining would leave and you would be living in hell,” she said.

Source: myjoyonline 

Three Chinese nationals have been arrested for allegedly engaging in illegal mining at Fahiakobo, a town in the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region.

The three were arrested on Monday, January 6, 2020, by the Operation Vanguard Ashanti Forward Operating Base (FOB), led by Officer Commanding (OC), Captain AD Kabenla.

The suspects are; Li Fei Chin, 35, Qiang Zhong-Wu, 42 and Li Yanwong, 47.

Government purchases speed boats to fight galamsey

The joint military-police Anti-Galamsey Taskforce team in a statement said 3 pump-action guns, 14 cartridges of AAA Rounds, 5 Gold detectors, 5 metal detectors, 14 handheld radio communication gadgets and 6 water pumping machines were retrieved from the suspects.

Other items seized included 3 car batteries, 2 large size waterholes, 1 excavator monitor, 1 excavator control board, 6 buckets of gear oil, a bucket of grease, tools box and 2 digital scales.

According to the statement, the seized items have been sent to Ashanti FOB storehouse pending further investigation while the three Chinese citizens were handed over to the Obuasi Divisional Police Command for investigation and prosecution.

Nine Chinese arrested for mining illegally

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) in September 2019 arrested nine Chinese men for allegedly engaging in illegal mining operations in Kwakyiekrom in the Ashanti Region.

Galamsey Law: Illegal miners face 25 years in jail Akufo-Addo

Items confiscated in the operation include a Toyota Land Cruiser, an Excavator, washing carpet, as mall cylinder, refrigerator, gallon, gear oil, scale and two batteries.

Four Chinese arrested at Prestea Huni Valley

Some four (4) Chinese nationals were arrested in November 2019 over the same illegal mining issue.

They were arrested by the Western Forward Operation Base (FOB) of the National Anti-Galamsey Task Force at Asumpa, in the Prestea Huni Valley District.

Source: citinewsroom.com