Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong, has revealed alarming details about the heavy armament of illegal miners during their operations.

Speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo show with host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Thursday, September 5, 2024, Acheampong shared a personal account of leading a task force of about 30 men on a mission to apprehend illegal miners.

Upon reaching the site, the minister disclosed that they encountered a group of 104 heavily-armed miners, vastly outnumbering his team.

Recognising the potential danger of a violent clash, Acheampong and his task force were forced to retreat to avoid any escalation.

“I went to a galamsey site with a taskforce team to stop the illegal mining activities. When we arrived, we found about 104 illegal miners, which was significantly more than the 30 taskforce members with me, and I will say the truth: as a man, I told them to retreat; else any attempt we make to stop them can harm and even kill us, so we had to return home to properly prepare ourselves,” he said.

Seth Acheampong bemoaned how these illegal miners, who carry guns for self-protection, have become a significant problem for the country and could pose a serious threat to the nation’s security.

“This is the biggest problem that has befallen the country. These are some of the things we face and the kind of guns they are armed with,” he added.

Acheampong's remarks come in response to growing public calls for the government to take decisive action against illegal mining activities, commonly known as galamsey.

This follows a statement from Ghana Water Company Limited, which emphasised the increasing difficulty in supplying clean water due to the deteriorating state of the Pra River, worsened by the impact of galamsey operations.