The Secretary of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), Colonel Dominic Buah, has announced that 237 illegal miners have been arrested in the ongoing galamsey fight.
According to NAIMOS, the majority of persons arrested are foreign nationals.
Speaking at an editors’ forum on Wednesday, March 25, the Secretary of NAIMOS, Dominic Buah, stated, “We have made 237 arrests, the majority of them are foreigners,” he stated.
94 excavators have been destroyed so far… almost 3,000 chanfangs have been destroyed,” he revealed.
“In the field, when we do not have load beds, we remove vital components so that they cannot use the excavator again,” he said.
“At the various galamsey sites, the use of excavators has gone down drastically… those you meet are often immobilised,” he added.
“Every excavator seized by NAIMOS is intact, and the Ministry of Lands will render an account, and the government will take a decision on what to do, but NAIMOS has them safely at various locations.
“Seized weapons too are intact, and I have received letters from the Small Arms Commission and through the Ministry, these weapons will be documented and disposed of.”
Dominic Buah further issued a stern warning to illegal miners against engaging in violent confrontations with members of his anti-galamsey task force.
According to Dominic Buah, NAIMOS won’t tolerate armed attacks.
Colonel Buah stated, “We will not stand and watch anyone use weapons against us. We are better trained in weapons and therefore warn that anybody who dares, NAIMOS will deal with them ruthlessly.
“It is a problem we are trying to address, and we have the right to self-defence and let no galamseyer miss that. If you go to the field with weapons and you try to fire it, a lot more will be at you.”
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has admitted that illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, involves individuals across political and traditional structures.
According to John Mahama, he will not kid himself that his own party people are not involved in the galamsey menace.
President Mahama highlighted that the fight against the galamsey menace will be difficult but must continue.
Mahama stressed that operators often shift allegiance when governments change, allowing the practice to continue.
Speaking during a meeting with Organised Labour at the Jubilee House in Accra on Tuesday, March 17, President Mahama stated, “Illegal mining has eaten into the fabric of our society. And I must say that it is not only a menace to our society, but it has involved a circle of traditional rulers, political party appointees and everything”.
“Even when one party changes, those who were running some operation, who went to one party, will go to the next party and say, now that you have come, come and take over this operation and let’s share. We, too, will be getting small; this is what we are doing. And so I don’t kid myself that we don’t have our own people involved,” he stated.
President Mahama further touched on the work of the anti-illegal mining task force NAIMOS, describing it as challenging, especially in communities where resistance is strong.
He added, “And the work of the NAIMOS is not easy. They go to a community, and the chiefs, the youth and everybody come out and resist them. And so, I didn’t kid myself that we would be able to win that fight overnight. But we cannot relent, we must continue”.
“And it doesn’t help when we have a crisis in the cocoa industry. The low price that was paid to cocoa farmers made some of them give up their farms for gold mining,” he noted.
“We are hoping that it will stabilise with the new automatic mechanism we are coming up with so that farmers know that they are getting 70% of the price,” he said.
“One of the problems we have is we don’t have patrol boats, especially on our waterways, for nine months to continue to patrol the waterways,” he explained.
Mahama further added that the Finance, Defence and Interior ministries are working to provide the necessary resources.
“So, we are working with the minister of finance to be able to maintain that,” he said.