Retired Captain John Kwame Jabari, the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, has denied any involvement in illegal mining, commonly known as “galamsey.”
The statement came during an interview on the Abusua FM morning show, where Captain Jabari addressed persistent rumors linking him to galamsey operations.
When questioned about the negative publicity surrounding galamsey and the frequent mention of national security personnel in such matters, Captain Jabari explained that the issue of illegal mining is highly sensitive and often attracts rapid media attention when security forces are involved.
He noted, “If you’re fighting galamsey and the police, soldiers, or national security are attached to the story, it travels faster. However, if the owner of a galamsey site is a police officer, it becomes ‘good news’ for the market,” highlighting the complex dynamics at play.
Pressed directly on whether he is involved in galamsey activities, Captain Jabari responded emphatically, “No. I don’t do galamsey.”
He acknowledged that his name often surfaces in galamsey-related conversations but attributed this to his active role in combating illegal mining rather than any wrongdoing on his part.
Captain Jabari remarked“For me, the mentioning of my name is not a problem because if you are involved in the fight against galamsey, definitely galamsey will fight back at you.”
He referenced a notable incident where national security forces took control of a galamsey site at Akatakyieso in the Adansi North District, clarifying that such operations often lead to his name being mentioned, sometimes inaccurately, in connection with the raids.
He noted “The first story I came out was that national security had taken over a galamsey site at Akatakyieso, but most of the time, whenever any operation happens in the Ashanti Region, people assume it is national security. This is something that poses a problem and causes concern for the work.”
The Regional Security Coordinator clarified, in response to a question posed by the host, “If any operation happens at a galamsey site and it’s not conducted by national security, then who is responsible?
He stated, “Currently, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has a task force, and there is a partnership between forestry officials and the military to clear illegal miners.
“We also have regular operations conducted by the regional anti-galamsey task force, but any raid that takes place is often perceived as a national security operation. Additionally, we have a national security task force from Accra that sometimes comes to carry out operations,” he added.
He further explained that recent special operations were conducted by the IGP’s operations department based in Accra.
He stressed that the recent high-profile raid at Akatakyieso, for example, was not conducted by the Ashanti Regional National Security or local police but by a special national security team from Accra comprising military and police officers.
“After the raid, my team(Ashanti Regional National Security) was tasked with providing security to prevent the miners from returning to the site,” he added.
Captain Jabari emphasized that he and his team were not involved in the actual removal of illegal miners or the confrontations that occurred during the raid.
“The only duty given to me was to provide security at the site after the operation to ensure the people don’t return to mine there again,” he stated clearly.
Source:www.kumasimail.com / Kwadwo Owusu
