Godwin Armah is the General Secretary of the Small-Sacle Miners Association
Godwin Armah, the General Secretary of the Small-Scale Miners Association, has spoken about the challenges associated with their efforts to combat illegal mining.
According to him, most of their efforts to arrest illegal miners have been difficult and fruitless due to the reluctance of security agencies to prosecute the offenders.
Godwin Armah recalled how one of the illegal miners who shot the leader of the taskforce was set free, despite the evidence they provided to the police for investigation and the request for the culprit to be punished.
He made this known during an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem on Monday, September 16, 2024.
“There came a point when the security of our taskforce members became a major concern. During an operation, the leader of the taskforce was shot by illegal miners and nearly lost his life. The incident was reported to the police, and a formal complaint was lodged for an investigation. However, our requests for the police to publish the suspect’s picture and assist in his arrest have been ignored, and the police seem unwilling to help,” he narrated.
He also explained that the other suspects were released because the police claimed that the gun used in the alleged shooting of the task force leader had no bullets.
Godwin Armah further said that the lack of will by the police and the courts to prosecute offenders makes the fight against the menace nearly impossible.
He said “the other members who were arrested were subsequently released after being taken to court. We were later informed that the suspect’s gun had no bullets, which contributed to their release, even though the same suspect had traveled over 200 kilometers to commit the crime. The miners claimed that the site belonged to them, but when we asked for their permit or license, they failed to provide one. Mining without a license is illegal, yet these individuals were discharged by the court, which undermines our efforts."
The issue of galamsey has once again recently gained public attention following Ghana Water Limited’s distressing challenge of being unable to supply water to some townships in the Central Region due to pollution of the Pra River from galamsey activities.
Many CSOs and associations have called for an immediate ban on small-scale mining.
MAG/AE
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