Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak has ordered the immediate transfer of all police commanders in mining regions as part of a renewed effort to combat illegal mining, known locally as galamsey.
Speaking during a meeting with Imams and Zongo Chiefs in Kumasi on Thursday, April 3, the minister announced that regional, divisional, and district police commanders currently stationed in mining areas will be replaced with immediate effect.
“I have ordered the IGP to transfer all police commanders in all mining areas and send in new ones. So if you are a regional, divisional, or district police commander serving in mining areas, you will be changed with immediate effect,” he stated.
Mubarak warned that the newly appointed officers would also face swift removal if they failed to deliver results within three months.
“The new ones we are taking there will be transferred after three months if they don’t perform. We will keep making changes till we see results,” he added.
The directive comes amid mounting concerns over the role of law enforcement in tackling illegal mining, which has led to severe environmental degradation, including the pollution of rivers and destruction of farmland.
The government has been under pressure to take stronger action against galamsey, with critics accusing some security officials of either turning a blind eye or being complicit in the illegal operations.
For the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources galamsey operators must be regarded as “terrorists” due to their devastating impact on the environment and public health.
Speaking at a press briefing, Armah-Kofi Buah warned that illegal mining is not only damaging the country’s natural resources but also endangering the lives of citizens.
“We cannot allow a few individuals to profit at the expense of millions of Ghanaians. These individuals are killing us, and we must now begin to see them as dangerous terrorists,” he stated.