The coordinator of the environmental advocacy group Eco-Conscious Citizens, Awula Serwah, has called for the immediate arrest and suspension of two Members of Parliament allegedly involved in a violent attack on a National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) task force at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Joshua Kodjo Mensah on Monday, November 3, Awula Serwah condemned the attack and said swift punitive action was necessary to protect the integrity of Parliament and Ghana’s anti-galamsey fight.
“Remember, a while back, the IGP’s men were also attacked. And this will continue when persons who believe they are close to the current administration think they can act the way they want without sanction,” she said.
She insisted that the alleged lawmakers must not be shielded by their positions.
“What needs to happen is that the duty-bearers must cause the arrest of these persons, and this matter should be thoroughly investigated. In the meantime, they should be suspended from Parliament, because these activities, if proved true, are bringing Parliament into disrepute. We can’t call them honourable. This is just tarnishing the image of the current administration.”
Awula Serwah further urged the President to publicly address the incident, warning that silence would only embolden others to act with impunity.
“These two MPs should be arrested before the morning is up,” she said.
Her demand follows reports of alleged mob attack on NAIMOS team while conducting an anti-galamsey operation over the weekend. The police had to intervene to rescue the officers after the situation escalated.
The soldiers had earlier arrested two suspected illegal miners and impounded vehicles and weapons at a site located about ten meters from the Hwidiem–Goaso Highway.
Several individuals, including a Burkinabe national, were arrested at the scene, which officials described as heavily degraded and polluted.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has directed the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters to take over investigations into the attack.
The Asutifi North MP has since been invited by the CID to assist with the ongoing probe.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
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