Executive Secretary of the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Dr. Adams Bonaa, says that the fight against illegal mining is becoming increasingly difficult due to the proliferation of firearms in the country.
His remarks come amid growing calls for stronger government action to tackle galamsey, which continues to pose a threat to national security and the environment.
According to Dr. Bonaa, many illegal miners and criminal groups are heavily armed, making it nearly impossible for security agencies to deal with them effectively.
“I’m saying it’s becoming difficult to fight because people have weapons, and without the weapons it would have been easy to fight galamsey,” he said, citing a recent hijacking incident on the Accra–Kumasi trunk road as evidence of the growing challenge.
He noted that the government, with the full backing of Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak, is committed to tackling the menace.
“Fortunately, the President is 100% in support of what we are doing. My minister, Mutaka Mubarak, who is a proud son of this soil, is also fully behind us, providing resources to ensure that if we can fight gun violence and racketeering in the Ashanti Region, fighting it nationwide will be easier,” he stated.
Dr. Bonaa revealed that the proliferation of weapons has worsened significantly, with incidents rising by over 100 percent between the first and second quarters of this year.
He stressed that the situation is not new but one that the current government inherited. “For a very long time, not much was done to mop up stockpiles of weapons that are in the hands of the wrong people,” he said.
The Small Arms boss also hinted at an imminent government announcement to deal with the issue. “You’re going to hear a big announcement either from His Excellency the President or the Interior Minister with regard to tackling gun violence in this country. I don’t want to speak ahead of them, but in the next week or two, something significant will be announced,” he disclosed.
Dr. Bonaa expressed optimism that once the issue of gun proliferation is tackled, the fight against illegal mining and other security threats would become far more effective.
