The Interior Minister, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, has directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to immediately transfer all police commanders stationed in mining areas.
According to the minister, the directive is part of strict measures aimed at cracking down on illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
Speaking during an engagement with Imams and Zongo Chiefs in Kumasi, the Asawase MP explained that the move is to replace commanders who have been stationed in these areas for a long time but have failed to effectively tackle the menace.
“I have ordered the IGP to transfer all police commanders in all mining areas and send in new ones. So if you are a regional, divisional, or district police commander serving in a mining area, you will be changed with immediate effect.
“The new ones we are sending there will be transferred after three months if they don’t perform. We will keep making changes until we see results,” he stated.
Muntaka reaffirmed his commitment to enforcing the directive despite mounting pressure on the IGP to reconsider.
Under the new policy, affected commanders will be reassigned to areas without mining activities, while their successors will undergo a three-month probationary period to demonstrate their effectiveness in fighting illegal mining or risk being transferred.
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