Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has warned that Ghana’s fight against illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey, will remain futile unless systemic complicity and lawlessness are addressed.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Friday, June 20, Mr. Kpebu said the persistence of galamsey is not just a policy failure but a reflection of broader societal indiscipline and the presence of rogue elements within institutions meant to enforce the law.
"What I will say is, it is sad, but it is a reflection of society, that generally, you will not find everybody conforming, no, you will find people who will always want to be deviants, it is the nature of things," he said.

His remarks came in response to a report by JoyNews’ Erastus Asare Donkor, which revealed ongoing illegal mining activities in the Ashanti Region, despite several state-led interventions.

The report also uncovered the complicity of some officials and community actors who continue to enable or turn a blind eye to galamsey operations.

Mr. Kpebu emphasised that without rooting out these entrenched interests within law enforcement and local governance, the fight against environmental destruction caused by galamsey will remain ineffective.
"What we should be pushing for is further investigation and prosecution, that is what we have to do because, as for people doing what they are doing it is expected that, in human nature, you will always find deviants."

He further called for stronger policies and reinforced accountability mechanisms to expose and remove saboteurs from within the system.
"Let us put all the energies we can into advocating for further investigation and prosecution," he said.