The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Eastern Region is demanding the resignation of the Eastern Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kingston Okomeng Kissi as Director of Operations for the anti-Galamsay taskforce -Galampstop constituted by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).
In May 2019, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, inaugurated the “Galamstop” Taskforce for Anyinam Mining area to protect the Birim River and its tributaries in the enclave from pollution.
The 62-member task force trained in diving, swimming and other techniques at Asutuare has the Eastern Regional Chairman of NPP as its Director of Operation.
However, according to the Eastern Regional Organizer of NDC, Hackman Kabore the NPP Chairman “is an illegal miner accused by some communities such as Muoso for abandoning mining pits around their houses endangering lives of children and farmers in particular”.
He again alleged, “Some members of the task force are family members and illegal miners whom the Regional Chairman works with hence using the Taskforce to protect members of the NPP engaging in illegal Mining in Atiwa West, Atiwa East, Fanteakwa South and East Akim.
“We have received several reports. In some instance, they use the task force to intimidate people doing legitimate work because they perceive them as NDC sympathizers.”
He added, “in the first place it was wrong for the NPP Regional Chairman to be made the Director of Operations of the Taskforce because he has no credibility. So, he must either resign or be removed. The taskforce is complicit in many of the illegal mining cases resurfacing in the region.”
In June this year, the task force was criticized after Forty-two armed members of it invaded Muoso community and brutalized a family of seven amidst firing of multiple gunshots.
Again, the name of the Taskforce’s Director of Operation popped up during recent protest by residents of Akyem Hemang accusing him and other NPP bigwigs of complicity over illegal mining in the area.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Kojo Ansah
