The Ashanti Regional Minister, Samuel Sarpong, has ordered the arrest of the New Edubiase Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) for allegedly spearheading illegal mining (galamsey) operations in the Oda Forest reserve, in the Amansie Central District.
Dr. Sarpong gave the order when a team from the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) toured the reserve, yesterday.
A week earlier, the REGSEC had conducted an operation in the reserve and arrested 12 Ghanaian �galamsey� operators, and some Chinese.
Prior to that, the chairman of the Adansi Akrofrom constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Gariba Mohammed, had been arrested for alleged �galamsey� operations in the Sukuru forest reserve, in the same district.
The minister� order followed an allegation by the Bekwai District Forestry Officer, Francis Baawuah, that the NADMO Coordinator, Robert Dzamesi, has been championing the illegal gold mining in the reserve.
Mr. Baawuah alleged that in July, this year, forestry officials received an order from �above� to stop their monitoring activities in the reserve, and due to the order, the military stopped accompanying them to the reserve for monitoring.
He alleged that whenever they went on the quiet to monitor, they found some military personnel in the reserve offering protection to the galamsey operators.
�From my observation, I believe there are some high-profiled people behind the galamsey operations in the forests,� Mr. Baawuah stated.
He indicated that the forestry personnel had been threatened with death many times by the illegal miners, and believed that if there were no higher power behind them, it would have been difficult for the operators to work in the reserve.
But, the Regional Minister denied that the military personnel were posted to guard the �galamsey� operators, saying they were there to check illegal lumbering and other activities.
He said it behoved the forestry officials to contact the REGSEC, if they needed the assistance of the military.
A large section of the reserve has been completely destroyed, not to talk of the pollution of the Oda River, which is the source of drinking water for the surrounding communities.
Several timber species said to be long to the Prime Wood Products Limited, Takoradi, have been destroyed.
The Regional Minister assured that the government would not renege on its promises to stop illegal gold mining in the reverse
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