Court grants six illegal miners bail

Six illegal miners arrested in the Dormaa East District of the Bono Region have each been granted GH¢150,000.00 bail with one surety to be justified for engaging in small-scale mining without licence.

They are Ato Benjamin Kofi Boakye, 52, farmer, Francis Akanyanga, 21, farmer, and Inu­sah Abdulai, 20, unemployed.

The rest were Rashid Hamza, 22, unemployed, Samuel Oteng, 16, welder apprentice, and Collins Yeboah, 17, mason apprentice.

Police Inspector Emmanuel Asare, prosecuting, told the court, presided by Mr Samuel Djanie Kotey that the com­plainant, Mr Emmanuel Kofi Agyemang, is the Dormaa East District Chief Executive and Chairman of the District Security Committee.

He said on October 26, 2022, the complainant, accompanied by police officers from the District Police Command, went on an operation in some parts of the district to curb illegal mining.

At Dormaa-Akwamu, Boakye and Oteng, respectively, were met engaging in illegal mining in the company of others along the Supre River at different illegal mining pits.

He said the security team ar­rested Boakye and Oteng whilst the others fled, but Akanyanga was later arrested by the roadside on his way home.

The prosecutor said the team extended the operation to the Kyeremansuo River area near Kyeremasu in the district and met Abdulai and Hamza, among others engaging in galamsey and they were also arrested.

He said along the Momsobour stream near Wamfie, Yeboah was also arrested but his colleagues escaped.

One water-pumping machine, nine shovels, four pickaxes, four washing carpets, two black plastic basins, and four rubber buckets used by the accused were retrieved at the different sites.

They were arraigned at the Wamfie District Court and remanded into police custody to assist in investigations and later granted bail.