The taskforce set up by the Eastern Regional Security Council to clamp down on illegal mining has apprehended eight illegal miners and impounded dozens of mining equipment in the Denkyembuor,Atiwa West, Fanteakwa and Ayensuano districts.

The operation was carried out on Friday by the taskforce made up joint police/ military officers from the Eastern regional police command and the Southern Command respectively.

The items confiscated include 24 excavator batteries, 16 pumping machines, a chainsaw,
3 monitors, 5 control boards, 3 single-barrelled guns, 2 pump-action rifles, cartridges and cash amounting to GHȼ3,000.

Addressing the media after what she describes as a successful exercise , the regional minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, emphasised President John Mahama's commitment to the fight against illegal mining.

"For the past days, we have been combing the Eastern region with our military and police to make sure the mandate by the president is obeyed."

"If you go around, our waters are so bad, the environment is destroyed, pits are uncovered, our forest is being destroyed. It is a hazard to our nation and the region, so for the few days our men have been on the ground and here you are with several excavators that have been seized from them," she observed.

According to her, it is as a result of government's decision to ensure that there is access to clean raw water for the Ghana Water Company Limited to supply for domestic use.

"For the past days, we've been to our service providers especially water works because we don't have clean water and it's become a problem for us in our communities."

We are telling the people that the men are on the ground, they're not leaving anytime soon until we stop the illegal mining and the environment is cleared," she assured.

She further assured the public that none of the seized equipment would be released to their owners, stating that the suspects will be put before the law courts.

"They're not disappearing because it is the excavators that are used to destroy the environment and anytime we leave it for the people, they are going back into the forest, we're keeping it until the president directs us what we should do with it."

"We're leaving them to the laws to take its own course, so whatever the law says about what they've done, we leave it to them," she explained.

Unlike previous governments that resorted to the burning of excavators as a solution to illegal mining, the regional minister said "We have said that our government will not burn any excavator but if the orders come that we should use it to work in the region, we can use it."