UER Minister directs illegal miners to cease operation

Alhaji Limuna Mohammed–Muniru, Upper East Regional Minister, on Friday issued a directive to illegal miners in the region to immediately cease mining and follow laid down processes to regularize their activities.

The Regional Minister gave the directive when he visited the Nabdam and Bawku West districts which form part of areas where illegal mining is undertaken in the region.

The Minister was accompanied on his visit by the Regional Police Commander, Minerals Commission staff and media personnel to assess the trend of illegal mining activities and see how to address the problem as directed by the Presidency.

As part of the strategies to curb the illegal mining activities, the Regional Minister had tasked municipal and district chief executives in areas where illegal mining activities are carried out to constitute a committee to either help them to regularize their activities or flash them out.

Alhaji Mohammed–Muniru said apart from degrading the environment, majority of minors, who should have been in school, were used as labour to exploit minerals at the expense of their education.

“This is purely child labour and must be stopped. The country is ruled by laws and everybody, irrespective of one’s status, must obey these laws,” he said.

According to the Regional Minister, it had been brought to his notice that some of the illegal miners are foreigners from neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Togo who often became highway and armed robbers terrorizing Ghanaians particularly on the Bolgatanga- Bawku -Tamale roads.

Alhaji Mohammed–Muniru said he would embark on another visit to Talensi and Builsa districts to assess the trend on illegal mining activities there.

Source: GNA