The Presiding Member of the Amansie Central District Assembly in the Ashanti Region, Isaac Osei Duah, has stated that security operatives are fully aware of fees being collected from illegal miners and were part of meetings and taskforce operations linked to the fight against galamsey.
Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mr. Osei Duah said security has always been involved in the Assembly’s engagements on illegal mining and worked closely with other security agencies in enforcement efforts.
According to him, security officials were not outsiders to the process but were actively represented in discussions and operations aimed at addressing the menace.
“They have always been part of our meetings. Every assembly works with the security services. We even have a taskforce that they are part of, and they are aware of the fees we are taking from the illegal miners,” he stated.
His comments come in response to the JoyNews Hotline investigation titled “A Tax for Galamsey: The Extortion Racket Fuelling Illegal Mining,” which alleges the authorisation and collection of illegal mining-related taxes in the Amansie Central District.
The documentary suggests that illegal mining activities in the area are not only being tolerated but allegedly taxed, receipted, and protected through a network involving the District Assembly and a taskforce operating under the authority of the District Chief Executive.
However, Mr. Osei Duah defended the Assembly’s actions, arguing that the money collected was not for personal gain but intended as a deterrent and a source of revenue for the district after repeated enforcement attempts failed.
“We took the money to serve as a deterrent and also to get something to put into the Assembly’s coffers since every effort against the fight seems to have proven futile,” he explained.
He rejected claims that financial interests were placed above the safety of residents and the environment, insisting that the Assembly’s priority remained the protection of lives and public health in the district.
“We did not prioritise money over our lives and the health of the people in Amansie Central District,” Mr. Osei Duah added.
The Presiding Member further stressed that decisions taken by the Assembly were done collectively with the involvement of security agencies, including the police, and not in isolation.
The JoyNews Hotline investigation, which relied on undercover reporting, secret recordings, documentary evidence, and field infiltration, paints a picture of what it describes as an extortion network allegedly enabling illegal mining rather than stopping it.
The revelations have sparked public debate and renewed calls for accountability, as stakeholders demand clarity on the role of district authorities and security agencies in combating galamsey.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has assured Ghanaians that all individuals found culpable in the alleged scheme will face the full rigours of the law.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com