The Executive Director of the Jatikay Centre for Human Security and Peace Building, Adib Saani, has branded illegal miners as nation wreckers wreaking severe havoc on the country.
He asserted that individuals involved in illegal mining (‘galamsey’) must be charged with treason, arguing that their activities amount to the systematic destruction of Ghana’s existence across all spheres.
Speaking in an interview on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, the security analyst stressed that his organisation has consistently advocated for stringent punishment against anyone involved in illegal mining.
He was reacting to the conviction and sentencing of Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, over illegal mining activities.
While describing the court outcome in the Wontumi case as a step in the right direction, Mr Saani insisted that accountability must be fair, non-partisan, and continuous to restore public confidence.
“These people are nation wreckers. What they are doing amounts to treason, and we must be sure that these people are brought to book,” he stated, adding that the law must apply to all offenders regardless of their political ties, status, or wealth.
He urged the state to prosecute anyone found culpable—whether affiliated with the NPP, NDC, or operating independently. He noted that under Article 19(17) of the Constitution, treason includes levying war against Ghana, and argued that galamsey operators are effectively waging economic and environmental war against the nation.
Mr Saani called for the net to be cast wide to target financiers, state officials, politicians, and intermediaries along the illegal supply chain who profit without directly digging the ground.
He described top galamsey operatives as organized criminal syndicates that must be systematically dismantled.
Highlighting the devastating ecological and health consequences, Mr Saani warned that the menace has already poisoned water bodies, destroyed forest reserves, and left a dire public health crisis in mining communities.
“We have toured several galamsey sites and seen the damage caused. We have also seen the effects on human lives, with babies born in galamsey areas suffering from deformities. Our water bodies have been destroyed, same as our forest reserves, and galamsey remains a threat to national security,” he warned.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
