By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The Convener of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey, has taken a swipe at the Magistrate in Enchi in the Western North Region of Ghana for ordering the release of impounded excavators used in illegal mining activities.
Ing. Ashigbey speaking in an interview on Accra-based Citi FM’s Breakfast Show on Wednesday, April 2, 2025 described the ruling by the Enchi based Magistrate as bizarre and an unfortunate.
According to him, the actions of the Magistrate is a step backward in the ongoing fight against illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey, which continues to pose a significant threat to Ghana’s environment, natural resources, and the livelihoods of countless citizens.
He explained that the ruling is a direct contradiction of Ghana’s Mining Act, which was put in place to curb the destructive activities of illegal miners.
The Convener of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey pointed out that the law mandates that anyone arrested for illegal mining activities, especially within forest reserves, should face the full force of the law without the discretion of a judge to return confiscated equipment.
“Once you have arrested someone in a forest reserve, you will have to take the person to court and the law takes away the judge’s discretion and there is no ambiguity about it and so in this case, having the judge returning the seized equipment to the culprit, it is bizarre,” he reiterated.
Background
Some Officers from the Forestry Commission, with support from the Enchi police, on Sunday, March 23, 2025, arrested one Wisdom Amuzu and three accomplices who were engaged in illegal mining in the Boin River Forest Reserve, located in the Western Region.
During the operation, two excavators were seized from the site where the illegal mining activities were taking place, and the equipment was impounded as evidence for further legal proceedings.
Despite the evidence of illegal activity and the seizure of equipment tied to the crime, Magistrate Lawrence Buenor Buer of the Enchi Magistrate Court issued a ruling that raised eyebrows across the country.
The ruling not only granted bail to Wisdom Amuzu and his associates, but it also directed the Forestry Commission to allow Amuzu to evacuate the excavators and other confiscated mining equipment from the Forest Reserve to a location of his choosing.
This ruling has sparked intense controversy among the general public. Some people took to social media to vent their anger while others called for the removal of Lawrence Buenor Buer, the Magistrate from office.
