The Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, has sounded a renewed warning to illegal miners and their backers following the arrest of seven Ghanaian men in a recent joint security operation.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday, April 14, the minister confirmed that the suspects were arrested during a special joint mission involving personnel from the First Infantry Battalion of the Ghana Armed Forces, the Southern Command, and the Eastern Regional Police Command.
“Looking at them, we realised they are just workers for some financiers. These are the people we met at the site and we arrested them,” Awatey revealed.
She emphasized the government’s renewed commitment to clamping down on illegal mining—commonly known as galamsey—in the region.
“This is a special joint effort,” she explained, “and we are making sure illegal mining in the region is stopped. Our men are still on the land to ensure our environment is protected, our waters remain clean, and our forests are safe.”
According to the minister, while the field workers have been picked up, the real focus is now on identifying and arresting the financiers behind the operations.
“We are working on arresting the people working for them. We are surely going to get the people behind them. The security services are handling that.”
In a firm show of resolve, Awatey disclosed plans to restructure the regional anti-galamsey task force, making it clear that this is only the beginning of a broader offensive against environmental destruction in the region.
“We’ve decided to reconstitute the task force and we are determined. We are just informing the people of the Eastern Region that the fight is still on,” she said.
