Soldiers prefer 'galamsey' missions to peace-keeping because they benefit from it – Odike alleges

The founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP) has alleged that Ghana is not making any progress in the fight against illegal small-scale mining (‘galamsey’) because persons who are supposed to stop it are benefiting from it.

Akwasi Addai Odike accused officials, including personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces, who are deployed to help stop the

Read full articlemenace, of taking monies from illegal miners to turn a blind eye to their activities.

Odike, according to a citinewsroom.com report, added that the soldiers even sometimes serve as security for the illegal miners.

“The fight against 'galamsey' keeps failing because successive governments are part of the problem. They extort monies behind the scenes from these galamseyers [illegal miners]. I know what goes into these things. They pay their masters who are the politicians to stay away from them to enable them do their nefarious activities.

“Soldiers prefer to go to galamsey sites than peace-keeping missions since they stand to benefit from the illegal activities.

“They go there to protect those who are destroying the environment. They do not go there to stop the activities, as they make it seem. This is the truth. We must speak truth to power and tell them in their faces. We were here when some military officers who were arrested for nefarious activities in the Atewa forest confessed before the court that they were sent from the Jubilee House. What has happened to the case?” citinewsroom.com quoted him.

Also, the UPP founder said that traditional leaders in the country have not done any better to help the country in the fight against 'galamsey'.

Odike was recently banished by Kumasi Traditional Council for accusing Asante chiefs of condoning illegal mining.

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