Deputy Minister of Defence Major Derek Oduro (rtd)
Deputy Minister of Defence Major Derek Oduro (rtd) has debunked allegations of military men protecting illegal miners (galamseyers), insisting that the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has not sanctioned such an operation.
He, however, noted that any military officer involved in such an act may be doing so by himself and if found culpable will be punished.
“Since the news came up, the Chief of Defence Staff has been with me and we have spoken at length on this issue. Everybody doubts where that information is coming from. It is never true that the armed forces is providing security for galamseyers,” he told Kwadwo Asare-Baffour Acheampong, host of Asempa FM's Ekosii Sen, on Tuesday May 23.
He revealed that big mining firms have security arrangements involving the use of military personnel to guard their concessions, but illegal miners do not have that opportunity.
The remarks of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nkoranza North follows accusations by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu, that some military personnel were protecting these illegal small-scale miners in some areas of the Ashanti Region.
“The law enforcement agencies, especially the military, are protecting an illegality and I think that it is time the truth be told. Most of the sites we visited today were heavily manned by the military command and I was wondering under what circumstances [they were undertaking this exercise] because my [office] has under no circumstance signed any contract with the military to protect [such] illegality,” Mr Amewu said.
“We tried finding out from the Minerals Commission, and the Minerals Commission has established beyond all reasonable doubt that they have never under any occasion established any contract with those military [personnel], and, so, whoever authorised those military [personnel] to be protecting the Russian and Ukrainian sites.
I think it is time those people answer very important questions. I don’t think the military will be doing those protections because they are military. And, of course, they will be paid handsome rewards for those activities they are undertaking. …Until the law enforcement agencies begin to take this action seriously, I don’t think there is any way we will achieve our objective.”
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul has ordered an investigation into the matter.
