Lt Gen Obed Akwa inspecting Operation Vanguard team in Central Region on Thursday
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lieutenant General Obed Boamah Akwa, has asked the joint police-military anti-galamsey taskforce – Operation Vanguard – to intensify its fight against illegal mining across the country.
He also warned illegal miners (galamseyers) to put a stop to their activities or risk being dealt with severely by the law.
The CDS gave the warning in the Central Region on Thursday, April 26, where he led a delegation to obtain first-hand information about the activities of the new Forward Operating Base of Operations Vanguard.
The base, situated at Kyekyewere, has been established to put an end to the activities of illegal miners that have destroyed the environment in the region.
The delegation included the Director-General in-charge of Police Intelligence, COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, who represented the Inspector General of Police (IGP); the Director-General of Ghana Armed Forces and some senior police and military officers.
During the visit, the CDS and his team met political and traditional leaders, including the acting President of the Denkyira Traditional Council, Nana Adjei-Nkyere Ye II.
In an interaction with the taskforce, Lieutenant General Obed Boamah Akwa, observed that members could only be said to have succeeded in the fight against galamsey if all the polluted river bodies and farmlands in Ghana were totally restored and reclaimed and illegal mining completely eradicated.
He advised them to be mindful of uncovered galamsey pits which might contain cyanide and other harmful chemicals.
Briefing the CDS and the delegation, Commander of the Joint Taskforce, Colonel Amoah Ayisi, spoke about the rapid manner in which his troops had settled and the professionalism with which they were carrying out their work, highlighting some logistical challenges facing them.
Even though the commander painted a rosy picture of his troops’ performance of the job they were assigned by President Akufo-Addo in the interest of the country, there are suspicions that some members of the Operation Vanguard have been compromised, making most galamseyers to return to site, thereby unabatedly causing destruction to the environment and water bodies.
By Melvin Tarlue