Four Togolese arrested in Ghana for illegal mining

Seven illegal miners (galamseyers) including four Togolese have been arrested by the Ghanaian Police at Denkyira Kyekyewere where a mining pit caved in recently and claimed 16 lives.

According to Inspector Adu Gyamfi, the officer in-charge of the Kyekyewere Police Station in the Central Region, the seven were arrested last Thursday afternoon after he led a patrol team to the mining site.

The site had been declared a security zone following the incident that happened about two months ago.

Inspector Adu Gyamfi said the team spotted about 30 illegal miners at the site carrying out their nefarious activities, but they took to their heels after spotting the patrol team leaving behind their mining equipment.

The names of the seven are Francis Oman, Kweryartey Abraham, Isaiah Kublaha and Noah Agrasu, all Togolese nationals and Daniel Mantey, Simon Sackey and Alex Tetteh, all Ghanaians.

Meanwhile, the suspects had been transferred from Kyekyewere to the Atechem Police Station at Dunkwa-On-Offin for interrogation and prosecution.

The MCE for the area, Mr. Peter Owusu Ashia, had visited the site to assess the situation and had ordered the Police to confiscate all the equipment found at the site.

He said the on-going presidential assignment to clamp down on galamseyers was not only to arrest illegal foreign miners, but anyone found in the activity including Ghanaian nationals.