It will be recalled that the President Mr. John Dramani Mahama directed a joint Ministerial task force to deal with illegal mining activities and its antecedent challenges in the country a couple of weeks ago.
This move, though laudable in the bid to streamline small scale mining activities, is being abused blatantly by the security agencies and their accomplices.
The recent raid on mining concessions at Asankragua in the Western Region, Dunkwa-on-Offin in the Central Region and other parts of the Ashanti Region, needs to be investigated thoroughly. It seems the task force is targeting some few selected indigenous Ghanaian legally registered mining companies (small scale) with overzealous strength.
In their bid to show this machoism, equipment found on these concessions are being destroyed by burning them, contrary to the directions of the president that such equipment, if being used illegally, should be seized.
Again, it is alleged that large quantities of raw gold and money is taken and unaccounted for.
The questions being asked are;
- Why this selectiveness?
- Why the blatant abuse of the presidents directives and the president and joint ministers� silence on this?
Is there any agenda as being speculated that certain people are on the table that, the persons should be harassed so they lose their companies?
Furthermore, who is to pay or repair the damage already caused by some of these illegal/legal mining companies if equipment which can be used are destroyed.
In all of these, is the RULE OF LAW being thrown to the dogs? Can the military use vehicles seized brazenly without recourse to the laws of the land.
Ghanaians should wake up and stand against these atrocities as the long term effect would be devastating to the entire nation. The POLITICAL HAND is very visible in this. Let those with ears hear this!!!
Signed
EDWARD KWASI AKUOKO (P.R.O HANSOL MINING CO LTD)
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