The Minister for Defense, Dominic Nitiwul has assured that no innocent lives will be lost in government’s special operation on illegal mining activities.
According to him, the personnel deployed to embark on the operation halt exercise are professional and will not go contrary to instructions meted out to them.
Addressing Journalists on the report on operation halt phase 2, the Minister said “Let me assure the good people of Ghana that no innocent lives will be lost. I hope that your question is innocent lives, so I will stick to that but I cannot guarantee whether lives will be lost or not and that one lives could be lost even from the Military side or the civilian side, we can never tell”
He added that lives could be lost if deviant persons attack the military deployed to embark on the mission to clamp down on activities of illegal miners and their mining activities.
“The Military will continue to do what it has to do on the water bodies and 100metres off it to ensure that all equipment ceased are destroyed but the Military will not target innocent, will not even target to take lives but I can’t guarantee because accidents happen. Only God can guarantee but we will do everything humanly possible to ensure that what you are afraid of never happens”
Dominic Nitiwul also described the phase 2 of the operation halt as successfully adding that all floating chanfines and platforms which were found on the Twefo Praso to Daboase river were destroyed.
He explained that all equipment on the 100metres stretch was also destroyed.
The Defense Minister hinted that his men will continue to monitor the said areas to ensure that no illegal miner returns to the river to continue their activities.
“Secondly, I never at any point said that we allowed 8 Chinese to escape. Not on this platform. I said one Chinese was arrested at that time than in the forest, another Chinese has been arrested and they are being processed.
On his part, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor said “I think, my own considered conclusion is that there is sufficient legal justification for the methods being employed by the Military. I am not the final abettor when it comes to interpretation of the law. In any way, you should know that when the military intervenes in a matter, then it's an exceptional situation therefore, it's not as though their actions cannot be questioned but quite clearly, the decomposition of these excavators and other equipment, from my reasoned conclusion justifies it under the law”
Speaking on the restoration of the river bodies, he described it as a major matter adding that it has caught his ministry’s attention.
“The expert’s scientific conclusion is that even when you clear the river bodies, you still may never be able to restore. Mercury is very poisonous and dangerous. The Paa Grant University of Mines and Technology is partnering with the Ministry on how to clear the water bodies of chemicals so the residents can use it.“
He commended the military for its involvement in the fight against galamsey.
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Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith