Pupils of the Kyebi Unit School of the Deaf in the East Akyem Municipality, have appealed to the government to take steps to halt illegal mining in the Akyem area, particularly around the school area that posed danger to their lives.
The pupils said the uncovered pits and huge valleys that had been left by illegal mining activities posed a threat to them because they had to use the same paths to run errands such as fetching water for their domestic chores in the school.
The pupils expressed their concern during a tour by the outgoing Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Akyem-Apea-Kubi, at the weekend to some illegal mining sites in the Akyem area, through their sign language.
The children said, the illegal miners had left pits all over the place stretching from their surroundings and they were always afraid of falling into the pits.
The school, with pupils as young as three years old, had been devastated with activities of illegal miners.
At a distance of less than one kilometer, could be seen huge pits filled with water and mud left indiscriminately around the school and other nearby houses and the path that lined many farmers to the community.
The Regional Minister toured Ankaase, Kyebi, Asikam and their surroundings where illegal mining activities especially the “death traps” that had been set for innocent citizens, including the children of the school for the deaf.
It would be recalled that a young student of the Abuakwa State College at Kyebi in the same Municipality got drowned and died in a pit that had been left by illegal miners around the school premises two years ago.
Huge excavators, gallons of fuel and assorted mining equipment such as pump machines and others were scattered all over the illegal mining sites when the regional minister in the company of the Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kwabena Gyamera-Yeboah and top ranking military officers visited the sites.
Dr Apea-Kubi warned that the government would not sit unconcerned for unscrupulous persons to take the law into their own hands and destroy people’s livelihood for their selfish interests and advised the youth who were engage in that illegalities to desist and take advantage of opportunities that existed for youth employment.**
