The Ashanti Regional branch of the Small-Scale Miners Association has thrown its weight behind a two-week ultimatum issued to the government, demanding an immediate investigation into widespread allegations of extortion and intimidation by security personnel assigned to curb illegal mining across the country.
The ultimatum, originally handed down by the Progressive Small Scale Miners Association of Ghana, comes on the back of growing outrage over systematic harassment by personnel involved in anti-galamsey drives.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the Association, Mr Michael Adu Gyamfi, disclosed that uniformed military officers, police personnel, National Security operatives, and officials from the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) have turned anti-mining raids into lucrative extortion schemes.
He lamented that licensed operators have complained bitterly for a long time without redress, warning that miners will have no choice but to protect themselves if state authorities fail to intervene.
Affected miners revealed that operational teams routinely target registered sites using unmarked and unregistered vehicles, forcing operators to pay exorbitant sums reaching up to 2.5 million Ghana Cedi under the threat of seizing equipment or destroying their concessions.
Mr Gyamfi noted that the association is preparing to deploy its own internal taskforce to clamp down on unlicensed operators and institute reward systems for legal miners, while demanding an immediate freeze on security raids in registered communities.
“We have reached a point where we can no longer entertain these cases of extortion against licensed small-scale miners by security officers. We do not want to take matters into our own hands and defend ourselves due to the serious security implications, but if the state is not prepared to help us, we will have no option than to protect our lives and investments,” Mr Gyamfi said on Rainbow Radio.
“We are currently planning our executive elections, and right after that, we will roll out our planned activities to resist this extortion. Authorities must take a cue and stop harassing our members immediately. It appears the government has no genuine interest in ending galamsey and is simply allowing it to fester for private gain,” he added.
The association warned that failure by the government to address their grievances within the 14-day period will trigger a massive nationwide demonstration alongside a total two-month shutdown of all small-scale mining operations across Ghana.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
