The Lands and Natural Resources Ministry has said it will deploy a combined team of military and police personnel to illegal mining areas to stop galamsey.
This forms part of efforts to sustain the campaign against illegal mining which has affected major river bodies and left acres of farmlands destroyed.
The deployment, according to the Ministry, would be done in two weeks time, and is particularly targeted at illegal miners who work at night.
Citi News’ investigations have revealed that some illegal miners have resorted to mining at night due to the campaign against their activities.
The armed personnel will remain in the areas for at least a year on the anti-galamsey operation.
Speaking to Citi News, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu, said the latest security plan will totally curtail the menace.
“It has gotten to us that they have developed a new strategy and practicing their activities in the night. We are deploying security personnel and these people are going to track these nocturnal guys and their activities in the night,”said the Minister.
Mr Amewu also indicated that government will not relent on its fight against illegal mining until it is addressed.
“This thing has been going on for years and you do not expect to us to use this short period to address the problem so we will continue the fight. We are not relenting on our efforts at all. It will be combined team of military and police to fight the menace.”
The Lands Ministry has for sometime now intensified its efforts to rid the country of illegal mining which has devastated many communities in six regions of the country.
The government through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources as part of activities to stop the menace, has temporarily placed a ban on the issuance of licenses for small-scale mining, and directed all illegal miners to cease the practice and evacuate from the various sites.
Until recently, many of Ghana’s fresh water bodies had become poisonous with thousands of acres of fertile farmlands destroyed as a result of the menace.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
