The man whose earthmoving equipment was torched by some angry youth at Abekoase in the Atiwa district of the Eastern Region some months ago say all small scale miners are ready to team up with the anti galamsey taskforce to identify where all illegal mining activities take place to bring perpetrators to book.
According to Patrick Agyei Dankwa who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Agyei Dankwa Investment mining company, his equipment were burnt by some angry youth because they accused him of engaging in illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) in the area.
Mr Agyei Dankwa’s comments come after the anti galamsey taskforce set by President Nana Akufo-Addo to stop galamsey activities in the country was accused again of burning some mining tools belonging to Suronnim mining company a sub-contractor for Extra gold at Kwabeng Banso in the Eastern Region.
The owner of the machine Fuseni Abdullah said the order by government telling illegal miners and galamseyers to halt their activities did not include those doing large scale mining.
He explained that, they have not been working for the past two months only to be told by their security man at the site watching over the tools that the Operation vanguard has stormed the site.
Fuseni Abdullah added that the security told him before the taskforce got to the site they were firing warning shot.
When they rushed to the site, he said his excavator, water pumps and his office have been set ablaze.
But Mr Agyei Dankwa appealed to President Akufo Addo to see reasons with the great impact their sector has brought into the country’s local economy and give them the chance to operate.
He further said, it is clear that, no miner has a legal concession to mine on a river, thus, they first of all strongly suggest with immediate effect that, the taskforce should conduct an operation on all our major river bodies in the country and stop harassing them.
“I am very disappointed in President Akufo Addo and his taskforce. In fact, they are really a pain in our neck. They burnt my equipment in May and have not done anything for me or replaced it for me and then they go back again to burn aniother set of equipment from other mining sites.
“If they don’t take care, these taskforce will end up killing themselves if they don’t use the proper means of flushing out illegal miners. If they want to know where illegal miners are hiding, they should support us then we will help them to flush them out else there would be war” he warned.
A furious Agyei Dankwa said he engages in small scale mining and has acquired the needed permit from the Minerals Commission.
The cost of the equipment according to him is estimated at $1.5million and he does not have such an amount to buy a new one.
The angry miner described as total wickedness the action taken by the galamsey taskforce.
‘I am in even after some months. I don’t do galamsey. I use the right means to mine. If they refuse to provide my equipment, I will deal with Nana Akufo-Addo and his men” he stressed on Accra-based Neat FM.
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