A man, Kwaku Gyebi of the House of Prayer Evangelistic Ministry, at Twifo-Phase, has been arrested by the police for allegedly engaging in illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.This followed a petition by the Minerals Commission seeking the arrest of the suspect for his alleged illegal mining activities at Perwudie, near Twifo Praso in the Twifo-Atti-Morkwa District of the Central Region.
The suspect is being held in police custody to assist in investigations.
The petition signed by Mr Charles Zantione, the Acting District Officer of the Minerals Commission, in Assin Fosu, was copied to Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, the Central Regional Minister.
Twifo Atti-Morkwa District Police Command, Ɔseadeayo Kwesi Kennin IV, the Paramount Chief of Twifo Atti-Morkwa, and the Small-Scale Miners’ Association also received the petition.
The petition implored them to arrest and prosecute Gyebi for engaging in illegal mining, to serve as a deterrent to others.
Per the records of the Commission, the suspect had two concessions at Mintaso (GMA Gyebi Mining Enterprise and Eastside Precious Mining Enterprise).
However, Gyebi operates outside the confines of his allocated concessions and had no mineral rights over the site he was currently mining.
The Commission alleged that the suspect intimidates and chase away prospective concessionaires from their respective sites by forcefully claiming to own areas that did not belong to him.
It further accused the suspect and his armed men of vehemently resisting the Commission’s order to stop working on the site and drove its inspection team out of the site.
Besides, the Commission said the suspect did not observe any provisions for him to reclaim the mined-out portions of the site.
The Commission claimed that the suspect’s illegal mining activities, were not environmentally friendly and posed risk to people in neighbouring communities. —GNA
