By The Wa Circuit Court has handed down a 20-year prison sentence to five Burkinabe nationals for their involvement in illegal mining within the Wa West district of the Upper West region.
These individuals were convicted of breaching section 23(1) of the Criminal Offences Act and section 99 of the Minerals and Mining Act, as amended.
The individuals were apprehended on March 23 at an illegal mining site located in Maase, Wa West district, following a tip-off received by patrolling police officers regarding ongoing mining operations in the vicinity.
Upon noticing the presence of law enforcement, the miners made an attempt to flee but were promptly detained. A subsequent search of the site resulted in the discovery of three water-pumping machines and various other mining tools and equipment.
In their caution statements, the defendants confessed to engaging in mining without a license, explaining that they had previously operated in Burkina Faso but migrated to Ghana across the Black Volta River due to drought conditions.
The court found the five foreign nationals guilty on two charges: conspiracy to commit a crime (mining without a license) and mining without a license as non-Ghanaians.
Principal State Attorney Saeed Abdul Shakur, in an interview, emphasized that the defendants were caught in the act and could not refute their involvement.
This conviction serves as a stern warning to those participating in such activities, as the minimum sentence for foreigners convicted of illegal mining in Ghana is 20 years.
“The police conducted a swoop at the black Volta close to Jamboso and arrested 5 persons, all of them were Burkinabé nationals. And they were actually mining close to the bank of the river, somewhere even mining inside the river. They were arrested and arranged for the circuit court and remanded to the presence of police custody.”
“They decided to plead guilty in simplicity, all the five pleaded guilty and asked the court to be lenient with them, so the court was actually lenient by sentencing them to 20 years imprisonment on both counts. In the mining act, the minimum you can give any foreigner doing illegal mining in Ghana is 20 years. They were caught actually in the act, they were inside the pit when they were arrested. Eventually, they couldn’t do anything.”
He emphasised that the court’s decision is a strong warning to those who engage in illegal mining activities.
