The Chief of Pramkese in the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area, Barimah Ofori Frimpong II, has indicted the political class in Ghana for the ever-growing illegal mining (galamsey) menace.
Speaking to Oman Channel, the Pramkesehene noted that contrary to some public perceptions that chiefs are enabling the growing menace, it is rather the political class who are promoting illegal mining activities.
"Look, I wouldn't hide away from you. All the issues about galamsey and the challenges we have, it is the politicians; I will say it here and now. It is not the chiefs. What can a chief do? Do we have police or military? It is the politicians who are destroying our nation and the river bodies. Someone was blaming Asentehene and others; I beg to differ. They (politicians) are the ones behind it," he stated.
According to him, chiefs have very limited power in fighting illegal mining and rather have to depend on state security to fight the menace threatening the nation's water and forest reserve.
Barimah Ofori Frimpong II recounted an instance where a police commander, to his disappointment, returned some illegal mining equipment he seized to its owners without prosecuting them.
"There was a day I travelled to Pram, and on my way back, I saw some illegal mining equipment on the Pra River, and I asked my driver to pack it up so that we send it to the police station. We sent it to the police, but unfortunately, I was travelling outside the country the following day. I was at the airport when the district commander called me. He said, 'the issue about the boys whose equipment you took has been brought to me,' and I asked, and so? He replied that he wanted to come and see me the next morning, so we could talk about it, but I told him I was travelling, so he should deal with it. When I returned from the trip, he had released all the equipment back to the owners," he recounted in the Akan language.
As issues of galamsey have taken centre stage in national conversations following the rearrest of Aisha Huang after she was deported from Ghana some time ago, some critics have fiercely blamed traditional leaders for failing to protect Ghana's water bodies as custodians of the land.
