Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, has issued a strong warning to illegal miners, declaring that the newly formed Regional Anti-Galamsey Taskforce will soon take action against them.
Speaking at Akyem Abompe in the Fanteakwa South District on Wednesday, the Minister expressed her frustration over the devastating impact of illegal mining, particularly following the recent drowning of two siblings in a galamsey pit near residential homes.
“It is painful that we have leaders in this community. Don’t we have security personnel here? Even if the miners work at night, don’t we hear the noise of the excavator machines?” she questioned.
The tragic incident in Akyem Abompe adds to another case in the Denkyembuor District, where a child also drowned in an abandoned mining pit, bringing the total number of child deaths from such incidents to three within a week.
The Minister, who has been touring illegal mining sites in the region, did not hide her distress over the situation.
“I have been to Akwatia and other places; now I am in Abompe, and I am frightened,” she said.
She announced that a crucial meeting would be held with both large-scale and small-scale miners as part of the government’s intensified efforts to combat illegal mining.
“From tomorrow, we are meeting the miners from the large-scale miners to the small-scale miners. Most of you have heard we have formed a task force—we are coming to strike soon,” she warned.
Anticipating attempts to interfere with the task force’s work, she made it clear that no pleas for leniency would be entertained.
“Nobody should call me or anyone around me to plead because I will not listen,” she stressed.
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