{"id":383747,"date":"2017-12-16T08:28:42","date_gmt":"2017-12-16T08:28:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=383747"},"modified":"2017-12-16T08:29:53","modified_gmt":"2017-12-16T08:29:53","slug":"use-of-weapons-by-galamseyers-troubling-operation-vanguard-commander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/12\/use-of-weapons-by-galamseyers-troubling-operation-vanguard-commander\/","title":{"rendered":"Use of weapons by ‘galamseyers’ troubling – Operation Vanguard Commander"},"content":{"rendered":"
Colonel William Agyapong, the outgoing Commander of Operation Vanguard, the task-force responsible for ending illegal mining across the country, is alarmed over the discovery of sophisticated arms owned and used by illegal miners in the country.<\/p>\n
He said the anti-galamsey team retrieved 58 different firearms indicating that the illegal miners had become sophisticated.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”8B6qfRomT2h9mbNbpbe73ZwaZTV0ayaM”]In an interview with Citi News<\/strong>, Col. Agyapong said, the situation is worrying, and there was the need for stakeholders to find a way to address it before it gets out of hands.<\/p>\n \u201cOne striking thing is the number of arms, weapons we came across. We came across as many of 58 different types of weapons. Pistols, single and double barrels, pump action guns both locally made and foreign ones. As a military personnel, it is worry that plying a simple trade like mining will have people come on board with weapons. It is a very worrying situation that we need to look at it because we don\u2019t know the number of weapons that are still in the hands of people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Punishment for \u2018galamseyers\u2019 too weak \u2013 Operation Vanguard commander<\/strong><\/p>\n Col. Agyapong further expressed worry about the weight of punishment meted out to illegal miners after they have been arrested by the anti-galamsey task-force.<\/p>\n