The acting Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, Captain (Retired) John Kwame Jabari, has disclosed the arrest of 47 individuals, including soldiers, who were posing as national security personnel at mining sites in the region.
The suspects, who were arrested in separate operations conducted by national security, are currently assisting the Ghana Police Service with investigations.
The arrests follow complaints from small-scale miners about individuals falsely claiming to be national security operatives and extorting money from them before allowing them to mine else their equipment will be seize despite the miners showing to them their mining documentation.
Speaking to Starrfm’s Ashanti regional correspondent Isaac Justice Bediako, Captain Jabari stated, “These are groups of gangs in the region obstructing the government’s efforts in fighting illegal mining through their extortion activities, creating a bad image for national security.”
He further explained, “Those who are soldiers have been handed over to the military command for internal investigations to establish whether they are real soldiers, while the others, including civilians, have been handed over to the police for prosecution.”
The arrests, made within just one month, highlight the seriousness of the gang’s operations in the region. Captain Jabari assured the public that the regional security apparatus remains committed to flushing out individuals hindering the government’s fight against illegal mining.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh /Isaac Justice Bediako
