Illegal mining activities have become deeply entrenched in parts of the Mpohor Fiase District in the Western Region, with miners operating openly near a police station as residents, affected farmers and traditional leaders call for urgent government intervention.

Residents describe the situation as alarming, saying illegal miners have taken over vast stretches of wetlands and farmlands in the communities of Mpohor, Adum Trabuom, Adum Banso and Ayiem, leaving cocoa farms and food crop plantations extensively damaged.

Some of the miners reportedly claim they are able to operate without interference because they allegedly pay weekly sums to security personnel and other stakeholders in the district, allowing them to continue their activities without fear of arrest.

The scale of the alleged impunity is particularly evident at Ayiem, where illegal mining is taking place within proximity to a local police station. Residents claim the operations have continued unabated despite the presence of armed police officers in the area.

The miners are also accused of encroaching on privately owned farmlands, excavating large sections of cocoa plantations and food crop fields and leaving behind deep pits and degraded landscapes.

Among those affected are Olivia Tawiah, 56, and her husband, Samuel Bentum, 60, whose farm has been destroyed by the illegal mining activities.

The couple say they have lost their main source of livelihood and are appealing to the government to intervene and halt the destruction.

At Adum Trabuom, traditional authorities have expressed outrage over the extent of the environmental devastation, describing the activities as a serious threat to livelihoods, agriculture and the district's future development.

The chiefs say wetlands that once sustained the River Butre have been extensively excavated and polluted, raising concerns about the long-term impact on water resources and food production.

The Chief of Adum Trabuom, Nana Nuakoh III, together with his sub-chiefs, has appealed directly to President John Dramani Mahama to intervene and bring the growing illegal mining activities in the Mpohor Fiase District to an end.

According to the traditional leaders, urgent action is needed to restore law and order, protect farmlands and preserve the district's natural environment before the damage becomes irreversible.