The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, has called on state institutions in the criminal justice system to demonstrate greater resolve in tackling illegal mining, which he says has pushed his constituency to the edge of an environmental and social collapse.
In a strongly worded statement titled “A Cry for Our Birim River and Our People,” Dr. Agyemang criticized the lack of deterrent enforcement and urged the Police, Prosecution Service, Judiciary, and environmental agencies to “act decisively and without fear or favour.”
“The law must bite, and it must bite hard,” he emphasized. “Those who profit from the destruction of our environment, whether local or foreign, must face the full rigours of the law.”
The MP’s appeal follows reports that the Birim River — once the region’s main water source — has become so polluted that the Kyebi Water Treatment Plant has been shut down for over three months.
Security agencies in Abuakwa South have recently intensified raids on illegal mining sites, but Dr. Agyemang fears the efforts may become “another nine-day wonder” unless sustained by legal accountability and political will.
He warned that illegal mining was not only destroying the environment but also fuelling crime, drug abuse, and social instability.
Legal experts and anti-corruption campaigners have since echoed his sentiments, arguing that weak institutional collaboration and slow judicial processes continue to undermine Ghana’s anti-galamsey fight.
“This is not a political issue,” the MP reiterated. “It is a national moral crisis, and the law must lead the way.”