Task force seizes equipment of galamsey operators, 3 Escape arrest
Barely three days after its inauguration, the 50-man task force of the Ashanti Regional chapter of the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Mining last Thursday confiscated a number of equipment, including excavators, being used by the illegal miners.
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This was after the task force arrested three illegal miners on the river Subin between Mpatasie and Odaho in the Amansie West District in the Ashanti Region, who later escaped.
The team, under the leadership of Mr Dresi Andoh, and some selected journalists chanced on the illegal miners and overpowered them.
Escape
Unfortunately, the galamsey operators, who appeared so familiar with the terrain, managed to escape while they were being transported to the Manso Police Station on a rainy day.
The task force, however, defied the heavy rains and managed to send the confiscated equipment to the Manso Police Station.
The task force was formed last Tuesday in Kumasi to assist the government and its agencies as well as the media coalition against galamsey to stamp out illegal mining completely in the country.
On the ground
An executive member of the association, Mr Frank Osei, told journalists after the operation that they were solidly on the ground to track all the galamsey operators and hand them over to the security agencies.
He expressed the hope that the police across the nation would back their actions by expeditiously processing the suspects for court, and not allow themselves to be influenced.
More arrests
Mr Osei said having been in the mining business for some time, the task force was well positioned to arrest the culprits because they knew where the illegal miners operated from.
He assured the government of the small-scale miners’ support to clamp down on galamsey in the hope that the industry would be streamlined in due course.
some members of the task force conveying a piece of equipment to the police station