Akim Abuakwa South MP, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, has called for Ghana’s fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, to be waged with the intensity and resolve of a wartime campaign.

His appeal follows the tragic helicopter crash on 6th August 2025, which claimed the lives of Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and six others, all en route to Obuasi on a mission linked to the anti-galamsey effort.

“If these gallant men were on their way to confront the scourge of illegal mining, then the fight against galamsey must now assume the same urgency with which we respond to war,” Dr Agyemang said. “We owe them more than tributes; we owe them commitment and action.”

He cautioned that national mourning must not end with words of praise, stressing that true honour lies in sustaining the cause for which the victims gave their lives.

“This painful moment reminds us of the quiet risks borne each day by those who serve our country. Their sacrifice, though often unseen, is real and in this instance, ultimate,” he added.

Dr Agyemang, a former schoolmate of the late Defence Minister at Pope John Senior High School, extended prayers for all the victims, vowing that their sacrifices must not fade into history’s footnotes.

The crash victims included Dr Omane Boamah, Mr Murtala Muhammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, NDC Vice-Chair Samuel Sarpong, former Obuasi East parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Malin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah. They were aboard a Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter when it went down en route to Obuasi.