THE TASKFORCE of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Mining (GNASSM) and the Ahafo-Ano South-West Assembly have in a joint operation arrested seven suspected illegal miners at Asuogya.
The team also destroyed about 90 changfan machines used by the illegal miners in the operations that lasted for three days.
Briefing the media, Joseph Bonsu Frimpong, the District Chief Executive for the area said the suspects were mining on the banks of River Offin.
The suspects, he said, are currently in the custody of the Ghana Police Service at Mankranso. They are yet to be charged and prosecuted.
The DCE vowed to flush out illegal miners in the area who are bent on destroying water bodies in the area.
“I am acting upon the instructions of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and anyone caught in these illegal activities would face the full rigours of the law,” he stated.
He commended the GNASSM Taskforce for the exercise and vowed to ensure the suspects are prosecuted.
The GNASSM Taskforce Commander, Patrick Don-Chebe, said the operations took place between last Wednesday and Friday.
He expressed worry over how illegal miners have destroyed the water bodies, making it impossible for human consumption.
Don-Chebe appealed to the government to provide them with the necessary tools needed to fight the illegal miners.
“We the GNASSM Taskforce are resolved to fight these miscreants (illegal miners) and we are augmenting effort by government to clamp down on these illegal miners whose activities continue to create mess on our environment and water bodies,” he added.
He appealed to the people living in the mining communities to stop accommodating illegal miners, but expose them for their arrest and prosecution.
FROM David Afum, Kumasi