Eastern Regional Minister Hon. Mrs. Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey on Monday, March 10, 2025, visited Boadua, a suburb of Akwatia in the Eastern Region, where a 14-year-old Junior High School (JHS) pupil drowned in an abandoned galamsey pit on Ghana’s 68th Independence Day.
Sampson Seku Klutse, JHS student at Boadua, went out to play with friends on Thursday, March 6, 2025, but never returned.
His body was later discovered in an abandoned illegal mining pit filled with water.
The boy, reportedly fell into the water-filled pit near his home.
The incident has sparked outrage among residents, with the bereaved family blaming the District Security Council (DISEC) for failing to act on earlier complaints about the dangers posed by illegal mining around their houses.
“When the illegal miners came to this neighborhood, we fought them, but still they decided to go ahead to mine. After they had mined, we asked them to do reclamation and also ensure the river flows because the river is 70 feet wide and 12 feet deep, but now the river is less than 9 feet deep because of the mining activities. So before the drowning incident, we approached the miner on Sunday that if the river is not excavated for the water to flow out lives will be in danger when the rainy season begins but they ignored us”. An angry resident bemoaned.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Hon. Mrs. Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey visited the family and the scene of the incident together with members of DISEC.
She described illegal mining menace as a life-and-death issue, assuring residents that the government will crack down on perpetrators.
“We have spoken a lot about galamsey or illegal mining last week, and today has shown us the real effect that we are talking about. We visited the community, and we had to visit the district assembly where DISEC was having a meeting. We had the advantage of meeting the police commander with the Coordinating Director we then got to the house of our late son-Klutse we met the family”.
She added, “We normally we say that illegal mining is not just an economic issue, it is no more a security issue, it is life and death issue. We want to continue advising communities; we want to continue advising the people around that let’s make sure we mine and mine very well”.
The Minister said a mining Taskforce has been instituted to ensure clamp down on all illegal mining menace in the region to safeguard forest, river bodies and ensure safety of the people .
Meanwhile, the Assembly Member for Boadua West Electoral Area, Vincent Akorle, expressed his frustration, accusing the District Security Council (DISEC) of failing to act despite several warnings.
