Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey, convenor of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, has called on the Chief Justice, Attorney General, and Inspector General of Police to step up support for the prosecution of illegal miners, saying that arrests alone are insufficient to deter illicit activities.

Speaking on Joy News’ The Pulse on Monday, December 29, Ashigbey emphasized, “The fact that several people have been arrested by NAIMOS and the Forestry Commission, and yet excavators are still sitting there, tells you that the prosecution itself has not been successful.”

His comments come on the back of targeted operations against illegal mining earlier the same day.

The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) carried out raids in the Akyem Oda area of the Birim Central Municipality, resulting in the arrest of five Chinese nationals allegedly engaged in unauthorized mining and river pollution.

Simultaneously, the Rapid Response team of the Forestry Commission arrested 28 Chinese nationals and three Ghanaians in the Apamprama Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region.

The group had allegedly pitched camp under the pretext of a reclamation exercise, brought in by an individual named Alhassan, in Compartment 17 near the Obeng ne Obeng community.

Ashigbey stressed that while the arrests are commendable, the lack of follow-up prosecutions allows illegal miners to continue their operations with impunity.

“Most of these criminals know that once they embark on these actions, they’ll be arrested but nothing will happen,” he said. He urged authorities to ensure that those apprehended face legal consequences, warning that effective prosecution is key to ending the cycle of environmental destruction caused by galamsey.