Police in the Upper East Region have arrested 30 illegal miners for invading the underground mine of Earl International Group Ltd.

The suspects, according to a press release issued by the company on August 12, 2024, were among over 200 unauthorized persons who invaded the mine at shaft 2, levels 2, and 3.

The statement further indicated that the activities of these illegal miners are taking a great toll on their work.

The statement added that these illegal miners sometimes launch attacks on the company's underground staff, deployed to carry out their duties.

Read the statement below:

On the night of Saturday, August 10, 2024, 30 illegal miners were arrested in the underground mine area of Earl International Group Gold Ltd.

The suspects were among over 200 unauthorized persons who invaded the mine at Shaft 2, levels 2 and 3, through illegal mining pits they had constructed.

The massive invasion of our underground mine by these unauthorized persons has heightened in the past four weeks, essentially disrupting our operations and posing a safety risk to both the illegal miners and underground workers of our company.

It is worrying to note that these unscrupulous persons, who in most cases are armed and protected by 'macho men,’ brazenly attack Earl’s underground staff, who have been assigned to carry out their duties, and take over drilling equipment to mine illegally or steal blasted ore.

Management has continued to adopt the necessary steps to mitigate the activities of illegal miners in our legally acquired concession.

At a recent engagement with the Chiefs and Elders of Gbane over the activities of the illegal miners, Earl’s Mine Manager, Firibu Salia, said, “The illegal miners are taking over our mine forcefully. Now, they do it in a manner that makes it appear as if they are the owners of the concession. Almost on a daily basis, they come down in large numbers through illegal pits and sack our workers. What is even more dangerous is that they drill and blast in a way that can cause serious problems for us. We need the support of our stakeholders to address this issue.”

Management assures the public, regulators, and stakeholders of its commitment to deploying legitimate and sustainable means of addressing this situation.