Western North Region (WRN) police officers are sabotaging President John Dramani Mahama’s efforts to crack down on illegal mining (popularly known as Galamsey) activities.
Officers from the WNR Police Command are conducting an extortion spree at galamsey sites in Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipality, terrorising miners and demanding payments under the pretext of enforcement operations.
A team of journalists including a Ghanaianradar reporter discovered this during a field inspection tour of galamsey sites within a forest reserve, assessing reclamation efforts and determining ongoing mining activities.
Miners alleged that armed police officers linked to the regional command demand money under the guise of enforcement operations, with failure to comply resulting in sanctions, including equipment seizure.
The miners expressed fear and uncertainty due to the officers’ actions.
The miners claimed that officers arrive on jungle motorbikes, visiting sites once or twice weekly, insisting they were acting on regional office orders, although the exact authority behind their operations remained unclear.
Authorities have not responded to the allegations, and investigations are expected to determine the claims’ authenticity and the current state of illegal mining activities in the affected forest areas, as well as efforts to reclaim the land and restore environmental damage caused by the galamsey operations.
