Hundreds of makeshift structures believed to be used as shelter by illegal miners at Tuntumba, Kalaba and Gbiniyiri, all in the Bole District of the Savannah region have been destroyed in an early morning raid by the Savannah Regional Security Council.
Eight (8 )excavators belonging to the illegal miners have also been seized by the security task force.
The operation, led by Savannah Regional Minister and Chairman of REGSEC, is the second of its kind within three months in the Bole District.
Over 100 makeshift structures believed to be used as shelter by the illegal miners were destroyed and set ablaze.
Dozens of the illegal miners, including some foreign nationals, fled the scene upon the arrival of security personnel, abandoning their equipment and other belongings.
Speaking to the media, the Regional Minister noted that REGSEC, is prioritizing the arrest and prosecution of the financiers behind the illegal operations.
“Our aim is to apprehend the financiers of there heavy duty equipment because we know that to carry a machine like this excavator is a huge cost. Of course, there are big wigs somewhere and our task is to identify these big wigs and arrest them for the law to deal with them,” he stated.
He emphasized that government is bent on dealing ruthlessly with galamsey activities to safeguard the environment and water bodies.
“The streams and other water bodies are the main source of water for the people around these areas and you can see that they blocked the water paths and doing their illegal activities which is terrible. Even the heavy metals deposited in the river bodies is very harmful,” he added.
Efforts
Earlier this year, more than 12 excavators and other mining equipment were seized in a similar operation.
More than nine individuals comprising local and some Chinese and Indian nationals have so far been arrested in different operations in the region.
Bole District and Central Gonja District have in recent times become hubs of illegal mining operations with the black Volta being the worst affected.
Source: 3news.com
