Be vigilant, report any unauthorized taskforce - GNASSM

The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) is calling on members to be vigilant and report activities of unauthorized task force parading mining sites.

This follows directives from the minister in charge of lands and natural resources to such unauthorized operatives to stop their activities with immediate effect.

According to Hon Samuel Abu Jinapor, only the 200 deployed military (Operation Halt) remains the authorized task force to stop activities of illegal small scale mining in the Red Zones.

Speaking on the issue, the Secretary to the Ashanti Chapter of GNASSM, Michael Adu Gyamfi commended the sector minister for exhibiting leadership and wish him well to succeed.

"We are going to quell their activities in all fronts. We have had enough of their extortion and intimidation", Adu Gyamfi reiterated.

A complaint had been made by some small scale miners that there are some people who portray themselves as government taskforce, visiting their sites to extort monies.

The report reveals that the said task force extort monies from the legal small scale miners who operate in no default to the government's new directives on mining.

The Ashanti Chapter, therefore, stand by the sector Minister's directive to call on its members to immediately report any suspected personnel who portray themselves as a task force, so that the necessary action is taken against them.