The Convener of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey, has called for sustained prosecution of individuals arrested for engaging in illegal mining, warning that arrests alone will not end the menace.
According to him, while security task forces mandated to clamp down on galamsey are making significant strides, the lack of consistent prosecutions and convictions continues to weaken efforts to combat illegal mining.
His comments follow recent operations by the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response Team, which led to the arrest of 31 suspected illegal miners in the Apampama Forest Reserve, as well as a separate operation by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) that resulted in the arrest of five additional suspects.
Speaking to Citi News on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, Dr Ashigbey commended the work of NAIMOS and other task forces but questioned the outcomes of the numerous arrests made over time.
“The arrests by the rapid response teams are commendable. NAIMOS continues to do its work in various areas, and that is encouraging. The challenge, however, is what happens after the arrests,” he said.
He expressed concern that many suspects are granted bail without any clear progress on their cases, citing past instances where alleged kingpins were released after arrest.
“How many prosecutions have we seen? How many convictions have we had? People are arrested, granted bail, and we don’t know where the cases end up,” he noted.
Dr Ashigbey warned that without decisive legal action, the country risks repeating the shortcomings of past interventions such as Operation Vanguard, where arrest rates were high but prosecution levels remained low.
He therefore appealed to the Chief Justice and the Judiciary to closely monitor galamsey-related cases and ensure that prosecutions are pursued to their logical conclusion.
“This is a crime that is destroying our environment and affecting all of us. The judiciary must pay particular attention to it if we are serious about winning the fight against galamsey,” he added.
