In a bold attempt to augment the fight against illegal mining in Ghana’s water bodies, government’s anti-illegal mining task-force, Operation Vanguard, has now incorporated the services of the Ghana Navy.
The move will now allow the task-force to effectively fight illegal miners who have been operating in the Ankobora, Pra and Brim Rivers.
The miners, who are conversant with these water bodies often outwit the task-force members, thereby making their arrest difficult.
[contextly_sidebar id=”sF8D06MsY8dL0sJVF9eblElwl17UWyXW”]Speaking to Citi News, the Commanding Officer of Operation Vanguard, Colonel William Agyapong, says the marine police will soon be incorporated to boost the effectiveness of the force.
“We had two detachments. They joined us on Saturday. We have a team in Eastern Region and a team in the Western Region. These are the leading elements that are also equipped to take on the position. Very soon, we will have more and more coming in…In all, it is going to be a very huge detachment almost numbering about 100…The involvement of the navy is very significant.”
Operation Vanguard, a task-force comprising a joint military and police of about 400 personnel, was sent to three regions – Ashanti, Eastern and Western, to flush out illegal miners in those areas.
The operation recorded a near setback some weeks after the military personnel shot an illegal miner at Obuasi Anyimadukrom in the Ashanti Region.
The teams have been tasked to stay in their assigned regions until all forms of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, have been stopped, and unauthorized mining pits permanently destroyed.
To make their work very efficient, the anti-galamsey task-force that was trained at the Bundase Training Camp in the Ningo Prampram District in the Greater Accra Region, was equipped and fully armed.
The task-force was also supplied with new patrol vehicles and other logistics to enable its members perform their operations with urgency and speed.
–
By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana