At least ten individuals have been arrested for engaging in illegal mining activities near the Akyem-Abomosu STEM school in the Eastern Region.
The arrests were made during a special operation led by the Administrator of the Minerals Development Fund, Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw, in collaboration with the Atiwa West District Chief Executive, Amo Johnson Anom.
The joint operation—comprising Police personnel, Immigration officers, and the Atiwa West District Taskforce—set off from the district assembly premises, fully equipped for the task.
Upon arrival, the illegal miners attempted to flee but were chased into a nearby bush where ten Ghanaians and one Nigerien national were apprehended.
The arrested suspects include Opoku Kwabena, Ebenezer Obeng, Felix Opoku, Mporumbo Manda, Kwame Baguaputie, Moses Dakura, Yaba Kudebila, Luumah Hassan, Ishmael Annor, and Armah Abubakar from Niger.
The operation was triggered by the recent drowning of a 7-year-old boy in an abandoned mining pit at Akyem-Akrofufu. The boy had reportedly gone to play near the pit when he accidentally fell in and drowned.
Dr. Bissiw expressed her distress over the incident, noting that illegal miners have now moved from the forests into communities, posing increasing dangers to residents.
“Recently, a 7-year-old boy fell into a pit. These miners have moved into communities, mining close to schools and homes. They are driving students and teachers out of the STEM school by taking over its land,” she stated.
As part of efforts to hold polluters accountable, Dr. Bissiw announced that the Minerals Development Fund will soon implement the ‘polluter pays principle’ to compel environmental offenders to bear the cost of damage they cause.
“The Atiwa West DCE shares this principle—that when you destroy the environment, you must pay for it,” she added.
Several mining equipment, including an excavator, water pumping machines, a bulldozer, and motorcycles, were seized during the operation.
DCE Amo Johnson Anom issued a stern warning to community leaders, advising them not to lobby on behalf of those arrested.
“From tomorrow, some people will start coming to our offices to plead. I’m warning everyone: don’t come. If you do, we’ll hand you over to the police,” he warned.
According to him, all ten suspects will be arraigned before court once police investigations are complete.
