Hundreds of Tipper truck drivers in Tamale Sunday, March 04, complained to the Chief of Tamale, Gulkpe Naa Alhassan Abdulai about the burning down of their vehicles by soldiers at Nawuni near Kumbungu where they transport illegally mined sand.
The drivers massed up at the palace to protest against the military operation Saturday where an excavator and about three motorbikes were also torched beyond repairs.
The operation was carried out by men of the Sixth Battalion in Tamale in support of the Operation Vanguard squad who are currently leading a nationwide crackdown on illegal galamsey.
The vehicles were carrying sand in the ongoing illegal sand mining in the area that have threatened residents and their properties.
Speaking before the chief, chairman of the drivers, Ahmed Abubuakari said the soldiers attacked them while they were busy at site Saturday morning and stole they monies before setting the vehicles on fire in the ruthless arson attack.
The drivers accused the regional minister, Salifu Saeed of sanctioning the operation and want the chief to summon him to answer questions about the damages caused by the soldiers.
They denied mining near and polluting the White Volta River and asked the Gulkpe Naa to constitute a committee to visit the site on facts finding. They are demanding compensations if the investigations found the military culpable of wrongdoing.
“If really we are polluting the water then they can let it go free, when they come and see it and it is clear that we are not in dam then we can take appropriate measure; and if they are seeing us to be ordinary persons, we have no one, we have one who is greater than. If it goes scot free on this earth, it will not go scot free on judgement day”.
Secretary to the Gulkpe Naa, Sahanaa Abdul Rashid received the protesting drivers at the palace. He said the chief had assured he would investigate the matter.
Naa Rashid indicated that the chief would summon the Regional minister and all those who may be linked to the incident for interrogation.
He underscored the fact that many families were depending on the activity for livelihood and described arson attack on the properties as unacceptable.
“We will not rest here…on behalf of his eminence, I’m assuring you that we will call the regional minister, whoever has a take in this, we will call them here to find out why that thing happened; because that is where we earn our daily lives and what have you, so someone is coming to behave in this manner, it is not something we are going to tolerate”, The secretary addressed the sad drivers.
The illegal miners have harvested at least one thousand trucks of sand daily near the river for two years now, to supply to the construction market, threatening installations of the Ghana Water Company sited in the river serving as source of fresh water for residents of five districts including the Tamale Metropolis.
The unregulated operation by the miners have polluted the water source, caused deep environmental damages, pushed farmers away from farmlands and forced fishmongers to hang their nets.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Eliasu Tanko
