25 excavators burnt in the home of owners

• An anti-galamsey taskforce has burnt some 25 excavators used for illegal mining

• The taskforce reportedly carried out the act in the homes of the owners

• The development forms part of government’s efforts to discourage perpetrators

Twenty-five (25) excavators which were burnt on Monday, May 10 by the anti-galamsey taskforce allegedly took place in the homes of the owners of these excavators.

The matter has been reported to the Central Regional Police Command for immediate action to be taken.

The houses of the affected people are located in places such as Ntafrewaso, Asamoah Krom and Awisem, all in the Twifo Praso District of the Central Region.

The burning of the excavators follows a government directive to the military to destroy all excavators found on water bodies.

A source at the National Association of Small Scale Miners who doubles as the Council Chairman, Alhaji Usman Musah who briefed Alfred Ocansey, Host of the 3FM’s Sunrise Morning Show noted with regret the ‘Rambo-style’ approach used in storming the homes of the owners. Six members of the Association were affected in the latest operation.

“They parked the machines in the house and the military came to the house to burn them. I can send you the videos right now. You want to see the videos right now within seconds I can send you the video. We don’t know what is happening. They don’t say anything, they don’t ask anything, they don’t ask for document they used explosives to enter the house. They just throw the explosives and then they enter”.

According to Alhaji Usman, the engagement with the government officials concluded that excavators belonging to illegal small scale miners would be destroyed and not the members with genuine license to do mining.

“We know that people working in the forest and also working in water bodies they are the people we are talking about but now here we are! People have the license working in small scale mining but at the end of the day the soldiers went into their homes and burnt their machines we don’t know what is happening. You have to ask the government what is his problem? ”.

Meanwhile, efforts to reach the unit which carried out these operations in the Twifo Praso area proved futile.

Source : Ghanaweb