The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has arrested suspected illegal miner Abeka Gogo for environmental destruction at Adrekazo in the Nzema East Municipality.
Gogo is believed to be a lead operator at the Gyenyame Gyetei site, where unpermitted mining has severely damaged farmlands, wetlands, and an Ankobra River tributary over a four-month period.
The arrest occurred during a joint agency follow-up inspection after operators ignored a directive issued the previous day to cease activities.
While several workers fled and one excavator was removed overnight, authorities found two excavators and a wash plant remaining on site.
Harrison Afful, the EPA’s Deputy Director of Mining, noted the severity of the damage, highlighting that gold-bearing materials were being washed and wastewater discharged directly into wetlands without any containment or recycling systems.
The EPA confiscated fuel, mineral residue, and equipment, and is now working with the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) to remove the remaining machinery and prosecute those responsible.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
