Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has declared that any government official found engaging in illegal mining will be arrested, emphasising the administration’s determination to confront the escalating environmental crisis.

His remarks follow a call by Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh for the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to deliver weekly briefings to Parliament on the rising destruction of forest reserves and water bodies.

Addressing the House, Ayariga said President John Dramani Mahama will not shield any appointee implicated in illegal mining — a departure, he argued, from the previous Akufo-Addo administration, which he claimed failed to act against officials and party figures allegedly involved in galamsey.

“Today, any government official found to be aiding and abetting will be arrested. Any party official, no matter how high, whether you are at the national level or you are at the regional level, if you are caught, the president will not say anything. He will allow the due process of the law to deal with you.”
“Unlike in the past, when certain regional chairmen were known to be openly involved in galamsey and even the minister wrote a report and nothing happened about the report” he said.