The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Juaben in the Ashanti Region, Eunice Ohenewaa Ansu, has raised concerns over what she describes as conflicting police jurisdictions, saying the situation is seriously undermining efforts to combat illegal mining in the municipality.

According to the MCE, the Juaben Municipality is currently served by three different police commands—Konongo, Bekwai and Ejisu—which all claim operational jurisdiction over illegal mining hotspots within the municipality.

She said the overlapping responsibilities have created confusion among the security agencies, making coordinated enforcement against illegal miners extremely difficult.

Speaking to Adom News reporter Kwadwo Obeng Mireku during a joint anti-galamsey operation by the Ashanti Regional National Security and the Juaben Municipal Security Council (MISEC), Ohenewaa Ansu appealed to the Ministry of the Interior and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to urgently address the jurisdictional challenges to ensure effective enforcement.

She explained that although communities such as Pemanase, Akronwe, Achiase and Akronwe-Wibiri are all located within the Juaben Municipality, officers from different police commands frequently undertake separate operations in the same areas, often leading to misunderstandings and operational clashes.

“Whenever the Juaben Police Command embarks on an operation in these communities, officers from the other police commands who also claim jurisdiction sometimes confront them. Yet all these communities fall under the Juaben Municipality. I have raised this issue several times, but it remains unresolved,” she said.

Madam Ohenewaa Ansu further alleged that some security task forces occasionally carry out anti-galamsey operations in the municipality without informing the Municipal Assembly or the Municipal Security Council.

According to her, these uncoordinated operations often result in the confiscation of mining equipment and allegations of extortion, while the Municipal Assembly is unfairly blamed by members of the public for actions it neither authorised nor supervised.

“There have been instances where some security task forces stormed illegal mining sites without my knowledge or approval. At the end of the day, my name was mentioned negatively in public. I am therefore appealing to the Minister for the Interior to resolve this jurisdictional confusion so that we can fight illegal mining under a clear and coordinated command structure,” she stated.

The MCE warned that the continued lack of coordination among the security agencies risks undermining the government’s intensified campaign against illegal mining, particularly in the Ashanti Region, where several water bodies, farmlands and forest reserves have come under increasing threat.

She noted that illegal mining has left vast stretches of land devastated in communities including Pemanase, Akronwe and Achiase, where thousands of hectares have reportedly been degraded. The abandoned mining pits, she said, have become death traps for residents and have rendered large portions of fertile agricultural land unsuitable for farming.

Madam Ohenewaa Ansu also alleged that illegal mining activities at Akronwe-Wibiri continue to destroy cocoa farms, threatening the livelihoods of farmers and reducing agricultural productivity in the area. She further claimed that some of the illegal mining sites are being protected by private security personnel, making enforcement even more challenging.

Her comments come as the Ashanti Regional National Security recently imposed a one-month ban on all mining activities in parts of the Juaben Municipality, directing miners to reclaim degraded lands or risk losing permanently any excavators and other equipment confiscated during the operation.

The MCE reiterated her commitment to supporting the government’s fight against illegal mining but stressed that the campaign would only succeed if security agencies worked under a clearly defined command structure with effective coordination among all stakeholders.

She called on the Ministry of the Interior, the Ghana Police Service and other relevant authorities to urgently resolve the jurisdictional disputes to strengthen law enforcement efforts, protect the environment and restore degraded lands across the municipality.