There is a clarion call on the police and judicial service to expedite prosecutions process on illegal mining cases, so as to serve as a deterrent to illegal miners.
The appeal follows a visit by the Western Regional Security Council (RESEC) and Colonel Dominic Buah, Director of Operations for the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), to the Ghana Rubber Estate plantation, where they observed vast devastation caused by illegal mining operations in the area.
A vast expanse of rubber plantation has come under relentless attack by illegal miners day in and day out, despite the efforts of the plantation’s security forces.
From afar, one could see a plantation, but beneath the canopy of the trees lies a critical scene: illegal miners have dug several mining holes, aside from areas where about ten thousand trees have already been pulled down to pave the way for illegal gold extraction.
The managers of the farm say the situation is getting out of hand, as they dislodge galamsey activities daily. They add that they have reported more than seventy galamsey incidents within the plantation in the first quarter of this year a situation that has led them to appeal to the police and judicial service to expedite the prosecution process.
Following a series of complaints about illegal mining activities, the Western Regional Security Council, together with the Director of Operations for the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), Colonel Dominic Buah, embarked on a site visit on Thursday to assess the situation and find a solution to the issue.
Upon their arrival at the site, the Chairman of the Council, who is also the Regional Minister, Mr. Joseph Nelson visibly unhappy with the vast destruction of the plantation issued a strong warning to residents living in and engaging in illegal mining in the area.
After witnessing the vast destruction, the Operations Director at NAIMOS, Colonel Dominic Buah, spoke off camera and disclosed that preparations for dispatching NAIMOS troops to the region are far advanced. He added that within a few weeks, they would announce their presence to help curb the menace.
