Handcuffs
By Hillary Obayangbon, Accra
Three suspected illegal sand miners and a soldier have been arrested at Bernganor, a suburb of Lekpongunor in the Ningo-Prampram District of the Greater Accra Region, for allegedly engaging in sand mining without a permit.
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The police effected the arrest following a tip-off about the illegal activity on land belonging to Seamless International Limited/Comet Properties Limited.
The suspects were apprehended while operating at the site. The soldier, who was in military uniform, was allegedly hired by the illegal sand contractors to protect their activities.
They were arraigned before the court at Gbetsile in the Kpone-Katamanso District on Friday, October 4, 2024, and charged with causing unlawful damage and mining without a license.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, Madam Akua Afriyie, spokesperson for Seamless International Limited/Comet Properties Limited, expressed concern over the environmental destruction caused by the illegal sand miners, stating that it posed a serious threat to their beachfront and residential projects.
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She revealed that the sand-mining activities had caused excavation to depths of 10 to 20 feet across 21 acres of the land, adding that the damage to the land could cost about GH₵55 million to reclaim.
Madam Afriyie warned of the potential for severe erosion and long-term environmental degradation, which could compromise the 400-acre development project and other projects along the seafront.
She called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to step in to put an end to such illegal sand-winning activities to prevent further destruction.
