The Minister for the Interior, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, has issued a bold directive to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), ordering the immediate transfer of all regional, divisional, and district police commanders operating in mining areas across the country.
The move, he says, is a direct response to the persistent failure of law enforcement to curb illegal mining, also known as galamsey, despite years of deployment in the most affected zones.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement with Imams and Zongo Chiefs in Kumasi, Alhaji Muntaka stated, “I have ordered the IGP to transfer all police commanders in all mining areas and send in new ones. So if you are a regional, divisional, and district police commander serving in mining areas, you will be changed with immediate effect.”
He emphasized that the fight against illegal mining required fresh energy and commitment, not complacency developed through prolonged postings.
Under the new directive, officers removed from mining areas will be reassigned to regions without mining activity, while their replacements will undergo a strict three-month probation.
“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,” the minister warned. The policy forms part of the government’s renewed crackdown on illegal mining, which continues to wreak havoc on Ghana’s environment, water bodies, and rural communities.
