Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Mustapha Gbande, says the party will intensify the fight against illegal mining by deploying state institutions, including the Criminal Investigations Department and the National Intelligence Bureau (formerly the Bureau of National Investigations).
According to him, the fight against galamsey is being rolled out in clear stages, beginning with what he described as ongoing targeted operations across the country.
Speaking on Joy News and monitored by NewsDesksGH on December 8, Gbande said the first phase of the government’s approach involved sustained enforcement actions on the ground.
“Step 1 is the surgical attacks. You’ve seen progressive surgical attacks. What you see every week being done by NAIMOS.”
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has in recent times intensified nationwide operations against illegal mining activities.
The secretariat has carried out multiple swoops, leading to the arrest of several Chinese nationals engaged in illegal mining, while equipment such as excavators, water pumps, and “chanfang” machines have been seized and destroyed.
Mr. Gbande added that the second phase of the strategy will focus on investigations which will be done with the help of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).
“The step two of our fight against illegal mining, which should somehow begin in no time, is for us to go back, use the BNI, use the CID, because galamsey is a critical matter, to go and investigate in every picks.”
He explained that the investigation would involve a comprehensive audit of mining licences.
“Go to a constituency, take every small scale mining license, investigate the people who those license were issued to, go to their sites using the DCEs, check what they have done there. If you have not gone to reclaim, you’re arrested.”
Illegal mining continues to pose one of Ghana’s most persistent challenges, with many Ghanaians concerned over degraded lands, polluted water bodies, among other challenges.
