Illegal Mining Thrives Near Police Station in Western Region as Chiefs Plead for Help

Illegal Mining Thrives Near Police Station in Western Region as Chiefs Plead for Help

Illegal mining has become firmly rooted in parts of the Mpohor Fiase District in Ghana’s Western Region, with operators working openly near a police station while residents, farmers and traditional leaders demand urgent government action.

Locals describe the situation as deeply worrying, reporting that illegal miners have overrun large areas of wetlands and farmlands in Mpohor, Adum Trabuom, Adum Banso and Ayiem, destroying cocoa farms and food-crop plantations.

Some miners allegedly claim they operate freely because they pay weekly sums to security personnel and other stakeholders in the district, shielding them from arrest.

The boldness of the operations is clearest at Ayiem, where mining continues right next to a local police station despite the presence of armed officers.

Miners are also accused of invading private farms, digging up cocoa and food-crop fields and leaving behind deep pits and ruined landscapes.

Among those hit hard are Olivia Tawiah, 56, and her husband Samuel Bentum, 60, whose farm has been destroyed. The couple say they have lost their main livelihood and are urging the government to step in and stop the devastation.

In Adum Trabuom, traditional authorities have voiced strong anger over the environmental damage, calling it a serious threat to livelihoods, agriculture and the district’s future.

Chiefs say wetlands that once supported the River Butre have been heavily excavated and polluted, raising fears about long-term harm to water supplies and food production.

Nana Nuakoh III, Chief of Adum Trabuom, and his sub-chiefs have appealed directly to President John Dramani Mahama to intervene and end the rising illegal mining in the Mpohor Fiase District.

They stress that swift action is needed to restore law and order, safeguard farmlands and protect the district’s natural environment before the damage becomes permanent.

Credit to adomonline