Security consultant Richard Kumadoe has called on the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) to establish a toll-free hotline that will allow the public and security agencies to report illegal mining activities in real time.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, October 11, Mr. Kumadoe said a centralised, easily recognisable number would enable law enforcement agencies to track and disrupt the financiers behind illegal mining networks.
“NAIMOS will need to establish a simple toll-free line which is recognisable and identifiable by all, and calls to this number will need to hit the dashboard of the BNI, EOCO, FIC, GoldBod, the Forestry Commission and the EPA,” he said.
He explained that such a system would enhance intelligence-gathering and help trace the kingpins who finance and direct illegal mining operations, often from outside mining sites.
Mr. Kumadoe stressed the need for security agencies to go beyond arresting small-scale operators and instead follow intelligence leads to dismantle the powerful networks behind the practice. “Once you’re not just arresting the young ones and getting rid of the big fishes, you’ll get the job done,” he added.
Meanwhile, the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has arrested 30 suspected illegal miners at the Cape Three Points Forest Reserve and other locations in the Western and Western North Regions as part of intensified efforts to crack down on galamsey activities nationwide.
The latest arrests bring the total number of illegal miners apprehended this year to more than 1,500. Among those detained are two Chinese nationals believed to be financiers of the illegal mining operations.
In the past week alone, NAIMOS conducted four separate operations, leading to the seizure of a significant cache of mining equipment, including six excavators, 65 water-pumping machines, and seven chanfang machines. Officers also confiscated 14 mobile phones, 28 wraps of Indian hemp, and a Toyota Land Cruiser.