Similar to acts that are carried out during despotic military regimes, a pressure group calling itself ‘Save the Nation for Future Leaders’ is advocating summary execution of individuals caught engaging in illegal mining activities.
According to the group, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng should be investigated and if found culpable should also be executed to serve as deterrent to all corrupt officials.
Founder and president of the group, Kwadwo Atta Apeakorang, argued individuals that deem the lives of millions of people worthless do not deserve to live.
This ruthless call is contained in a petition entitled, ‘kill to save the nation,’ that the group wrote to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and copied to the Speaker of Parliament, institutional heads and MPs.
The group lamented that over the past years, governments and state institutions have paid lip-service to the fight against the devastating harm that illegal mining is causing the state.
Appeakorang stated mining companies officially indicate in documents how they are managing the devastation of illegal mining but in practice have done and are doing nothing.
He stressed that individuals entrusted with state power to act on behalf of the people have continued to disappoint and only ensuring that they recoup the investment they have made in their struggle for political power.
The group demanded re-imposition of the ban on small-scale gold mining and urged the President to revoke prospecting or mining licences granted to mining companies if his resolve to fight illegal mining is genuine.
Appeakorang averred that the mystery of the missing 500 excavators is a real surprise because when the group joined Operation Vanguard on its tours, they were told the guards were only allowed to disconnect the control boards to render the equipment immobile.
“When we toured some mining sites in the Atiwa East and Fanteakwa South districts of the Eastern Region, Operation Vanguard did not seize excavators as reported in the news.”
Appeakorang argued that on the group’s tour with officials of Operation Vanguard, they discovered that illegal miners were informed of all impending raids and therefore disappear long before the operation.
He stressed that no excavator was confiscated on any of the tours that the group joined Operation Vanguard.
Mr Appeakorang challenged Prof Frimpong-Boateng to disclose how the excavators were seized and in whose custody they were put and the persons who kept the keys and other parts of the seized excavators.
According to him, if the Minister fails to convincingly provide these responses and after investigation he is discovered to have been compromised, he should be killed.
He argued that to pretend Operation Vanguard was winning the galamsey war; there were reports that turbidity of water bodies is returning to normal.
This, Appeakorang said, is a hoax and urged President Nana Akufo-Addo to recall the task force and institute investigations into their activities.
He stressed that whoever is found to have compromised the efforts of the galamsey fight should also be executed to deter other public officials.
