Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyemang Badu II, President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, has issued a one-month ultimatum to the government to end unlawful mining in the country, often known as Galamsey.
He warned that if the government failed to act, the chiefs would rise up and regain their land.
He issued the notice as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, paid a courtesy call as part of his campaign tour to the region.
“We are giving the current government one month to employ legal methods to stop those involved in the Galamsey. The government should send police and soldiers into the jungles to stop them.
“If the government fails to do this, the land is ours, we will just reclaim it and we won’t allow any sort of mining to take place,” he said.
Meanwhile, the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has also called for an immediate ban on gold prospecting in rivers, forests, and other sensitive areas.
In a statement dated September 9, 2024, signed by nine UTAG presidents, the association demanded a total ban on Galamsey.
Also, the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has delivered a damning verdict on the illegal mining crisis, declaring that things are only getting worse.
The GBA believes that the government is failing to make any real progress and has condemned the politicisation of the issue, describing it as irresponsible, shocking, and regrettable.
