The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno has been ordered to with immediate effect reassign all regional, divisional, and district police commanders heading stations in mining areas.
This order comes from Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, as part of efforts to fight illegal mining in the country.
The decision aims to replace officers who have served in these regions for extended periods without effectively addressing illegal mining activities.
The minister emphasized that this directive is part of stringent measures to combat the menace.
With the command taking effect, affected commanders will be reassigned to non-mining areas, while their replacements will face a three-month probationary period to demonstrate their effectiveness in tackling illegal mining.
He noted that, those who fail to show results will be subject to further transfers.
“I have ordered the IGP to transfer all police commanders in mining areas and send in new ones. So, if you are a regional, divisional, or district police commander in a mining region, you will be changed with immediate effect”.
Speaking during an engagement with Imams and Zongo Chiefs in Kumasi, Muntaka Mubarak reaffirmed his commitment to enforcing this directive despite mounting pressure on the IGP to reconsider.
“The new ones we are taking there will be transferred after three months if they don’t perform. We will keep making changes till we see results”.
President John Dramani Mahama has issued a directive banning government officials from engaging in mining with immediate effect urged government officials to resign from their positions if they seek to engage in mining activities.
“I have directed that no government appointee at any level should engage in any form of legal or illegal mining. If you want to be a miner, leave the government and go and be a miner,” he declared.
This directive forms part of President Mahama’s broader environmental agenda and plan to prevent illegal mining activities in Ghana.
Prior to this directive, President Mahama has also revoked mining leases in forest reserves and banned the issuance of new ones in these protected areas.
The minsitry of Lands and Natural Resources has also launched the Blue Water Initiative aimed at training 2,000 personnel across the country to monitor river health, identify illegal mining activities, and collaborate with local communities and traditional authorities to fight galamseyers destroying Ghana’s river bodies.
Also, major arrests have been made by the joint efforts of the Forestry Commission and Ghana Police Service.
These collective actions and initiatives have been attributed to the gains made in the fight against galamsey.
Watch video:
Interior Minister Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak has directed the Inspector-General of Police to immediately transfer all regional, divisional, and district police commanders serving in mining areas.
According to him, the move aims to replace long-serving officers who have failed to… pic.twitter.com/T8a6eQZdFK
— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) April 3, 2025
