The National Communications Director of the Small Scale Miners Association, Abdul Razak Alhassan says the government is taking the wrong approach in its fight against illegal mining, widely known as ‘Galamsey’.

He was against the arrest of some miners and the burning of excavators by state security operatives.

According to Abdul Razak Alhassan, the arrest must rather start from the capital city [Accra] where the moguls in the illegal business operate from.

“They are arresting innocent people, the real Galamseyers are in Accra, that is where the arrest should take place,” he told NEAT FM’s morning show 'Ghana Montie'.

The Small-Scale Miners Association has bemoaned the burning of the seized mining equipment of its members.

As part of recent efforts against illegal mining, 200 military personnel were deployed to flush out illegal miners destroying water bodies in the country.

Briefing the media on the progress of the operation on April 30, 2021, the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, disclosed that the troop destroyed a good deal of equipment including nine excavators and 127 changfans.