Dormaahene challenges chiefs to crack down on galamsey

Newly sworn-in Court of Appeal Judge and Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II, has challenged traditional leaders to take decisive action against illegal mining.

He declared that if he can stop galamsey in his Dormaa jurisdiction, then no chief elsewhere has an excuse for allowing the menace to persist.

“If I am not allowing people to do galamsey in Dormaa, why can’t you also do the same?” the Dormaahene questioned, stressing that chiefs must use their authority to clamp down on the destructive activity rather than look on helplessly.

Speaking to journalists after taking his oath as a Justice of the Court of Appeal at the Jubilee House on Thursday, Justice Agyeman Badu II dismissed suggestions that Ghana should declare a state of emergency over galamsey.

According to him, such an extreme measure is unnecessary if mining is regulated and carried out responsibly.

“No, no, it has not come to that. Let us look at how much Ghana gains in terms of galamsey. Once you declare a state of emergency, you ask yourself who can do what. If we’re not able to get those resources, there will be a gap.

“Nobody will argue that there shouldn’t be mining, but it should be done responsibly. That will solve the whole thing. People who are doing galamsey, we’re destroying ourselves; there’s a need to stop galamsey,” he said.

The Dormaahene further warned that illegal miners are destroying the environment, rivers, and their own future.

He cautioned that anyone caught engaging in the practice in Dormaa would be arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution.

“I want to appeal to the chiefs, we the chiefs, we shouldn’t say we don’t have the power. In Dormaa, if you come there, I will arrest you and give you to the police so that you will be prosecuted.

“They should ensure that the people do not engage in galamsey, because if you do it and you are arrested, you know the consequences already,” he said.

The Dormaahene was among the 21 newly appointed Court of Appeal justices who were on sworn into office by President John Dramani Mahama.

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The president urged the justices to remain steadfast in their commitment to justice and resist the growing wave of public cynicism towards the judiciary.

He acknowledged the rising public scrutiny of judicial decisions in Ghana but stressed that criticism is not a threat to the judiciary but a sign of public trust.