Defence Minister Dominic Nituwl has said that any seized illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) equipment will be destroyed on-site by the military officers deployed to the galamsey areas.

He said no gadget will be returned to Accra.

Addressing the media on Friday April 30, he said “We are not seizing any equipment, no equipment will be returned home, they will all be destroyed on site. No excavator, nothing will come back home.”

About 200 officers of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) on Wednesday morning began an operation to forcefully remove all persons and logistics involved in illegal mining on the country’s river bodies.

The exercise began on River Pra in the Western and Central regions.

This, according to the Minister of Information, is in furtherance of the resolutions of the final communique issued after the two-day Stakeholder Dialogue on Small Scale Mining.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, April 28, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the move is “to ensure that mining within water bodies is immediately stopped”.

He further indicated that the Ministry of Defence and GAF will provide a detailed brief on the developments and the sustainability efforts on Friday, April 30.

Mr Dominic Nitiwul who is also lawmaker for Bimbila said nobody should attempt to go back to the galamsey areas after the swoop by the men in uniform.

“When they sweep pass the place they will be constantly monitoring of what they have done by Ghana Armed Forces and so don’t think you will go back,” he said.