The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has arrested a man said to be an elder of The Church of Pentecost for allegedly operating an illegal mining site at Akyem Morso near Juaso in the Asante Akyem South District of the Ashanti Region.
The suspect, identified as David Bobie Peter, was apprehended during a targeted operation along the polluted Kume River, spanning the communities of Morso, Kyekyebiase and Bimma. According to NAIMOS, the suspect admitted during interrogation that he is an elder of The Church of Pentecost at Konongo.
A statement issued by the Secretariat said the operation began when its task force stormed a large illegal mining enclave at Kyekyebiase, where several youth were allegedly caught in active mining operations. On seeing the security team, the miners reportedly fled into the bush, abandoning equipment at the scene.
The task force pursued the suspects but failed to make arrests at the initial stage, as the miners allegedly used their knowledge of the terrain to escape through bush paths.
Despite the escape, the team destroyed eight Chanfang machines, four wooden gold-washing platforms and several pipe hoses through controlled burning. Twelve water-pumping machines were also seized.
NAIMOS further disclosed that a search of the surrounding area uncovered fresh excavator tracks leading into a nearby cocoa farm, where a Sany excavator had allegedly been hidden to avoid detection. Officers found the machine partly disabled, but the task force reportedly removed additional key components to render it unusable.
The statement said Mr. Bobie Peter later appeared at the scene claiming he had come to visit his farm. However, intelligence gathered by the task force allegedly identified him as a foreman of one of the illegal mining sites in the area.Confronted with the information, he reportedly confessed to managing a mining site at Morso and admitted he had been sent by his employer, identified only as Mr. Appiah, to confirm reports of the NAIMOS operation.
He subsequently led officers to the Morso site, where NAIMOS said extensive environmental destruction was discovered. The Secretariat alleged that sections of the Kume River had been heavily polluted and diverted to serve the mining activities.
A second Sany excavator was found at the site and was also disabled by the task force.
Mr. Bobie Peter has since been handed over to the Konongo District Police Station for further investigations and possible prosecution.
NAIMOS used the occasion to warn persons engaged in illegal mining that offenders would be pursued regardless of their social status, religious position or political affiliation. It also called on traditional authorities, local administrators and security agencies to intensify efforts to curb the menace.
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