A/R:30 ILLEGAL MINERS ARRESTED AT AMANSIE SOUTH DISTRICT

The Amansie South District Security Council has intensified measures to clampdown on activities of illegal miners in water bodies and forest reserves.

On Sunday, some divers trained and sponsored by the Assembly caught five persons who claimed to have come from Atebubu at the Manso Keniago portion of the Offin river engaging in illegal mining.

The five were seen with some locally made gold washing equipment and power generators on the waters.

The five were referred to the Bekwai Circuit Court where the Presiding Judge remanded them into Prison custody for two weeks.

Meanwhile, two other illegal miners were also caught mining on a water body at Manso Adubia Monday morning and at the time of filing this report they were behind bars.

Speaking to the media after a DISEC meeting, the District Chief Executive Hon Opoku Gyamfi said the Assembly would be ruthless on illegal miners henceforth, disclosing that as at the time of the briefing, 30 persons had been arrested so far in the district and facing prosecution.

He mentioned that the security Council had strategized on how to chase miners from the water bodies and the forest reserves.

Together with the Minerals Commission,  Forestry Commission and the National Disaster Management Organisation, (NADMO), Hon Opoku Gyamfi said the Assembly would use expert advice to chase the illegal miners from Amansie South.

“I must confess these illegal miners have being giving us a hell of a time but with our renewed focus we will use every legal means and ruthless force to chase them out from water bodies and forest reserves in this district”, the DCE stressed.

Illegal mining is very rife in Amansie South District. There are visible signs of destruction of water bodies and forest covers.

Almost every community in the district has signs of mining activity and the effects are devastating with waters turning brownish.

Edward Oduro Nsiah, Amansie-South District Director of NADMO said the illegal miners go to the river bodies at dawn to conduct their activities.

Some, he revealed also visit sites at 6pm in the evening when official activity had ended at the Assembly.

“This is what we are facing here but with our new strategy we will flush them out because we have trained some people to drive them out from the waters and forest reserves”, the NADMO director noted.

Story filed by Beatrice Spio-Garbrah

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