Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul says no arrest of illegal miners have been made since the Military commenced operations in the mining areas.

A combined team of the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Navy and the Ghana Air Force have been deployed to stop illegal mining activities along the river bodies and forest reserves.

Updating the media on the Military operation during the Information Ministry's 'Meet the Press' held in Accra, the Minister revealed that a total of 28 excavators have been burned since last Friday and 267 changfang machines destroyed during the Military operation.

He explained there have been no arrests because the illegal miners ran away upon seeing the Military personnel.

''There was no arrest made because most illegal miners took to their heels. The moment they see the Military, they took to their heels but the Military decided that, at this face, they will not be shooting anybody. So, they run off and so they couldn't get people to arrest and for the, even the safety of the troops themselves, they decided that, if somebody is running into the forest, into the bush, you don't know what he is carrying, you don't know what he is doing; the only thing you could have done is to have shot him but they decided that this is not the time to do that. Maybe in future, it may happen; I don't know but, for now, this is not the time to do that and so we couldn't make any arrest for now.''

He, however, advised the illegal miners not to take it as a weakness of the Military for them to have been able to escape.

" . . .take that not to be a weakness, arrest will be made and people will be prosecuted," he assured.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has  instructed the Military to remove all persons and machinery involved in illegal gold mining.

Source : peacefmonline.com