A Bolgatanga District Court has convicted two men identified as Abdulai Mumuni and Fuseini Issah for their involvement in illegal small scale mining activities. According to a Modern Ghana report the individuals were apprehended while operating within the Red Volta Forest Reserve located in the Upper East Region. The Forestry Commission served as the primary complainant in the matter and presented evidence of unauthorized entry and environmental degradation.
Legal proceedings confirmed that the convicts were part of a larger group that fled during a raid conducted by forest guards and security personnel. A GhanaWeb report states that the court presided over by His Worship Mawuli Deh found the duo guilty on charges related to mining without a valid license and conspiracy to commit a crime. The prosecution detailed how the mining activities disrupted the local ecosystem and endangered protected flora and fauna within the state reserve.
The court sentenced each individual to a prison term of two years. In addition to the custodial sentence both men were ordered to pay a fine of 500 penalty units equivalent to 6000 Ghana Cedis each. Failure to pay the fines will result in an additional twelve months of imprisonment for the convicts according to court records cited by local news outlets. The presiding judge emphasized that the sentence serves as a warning to others targeting protected lands for illegal extraction.
Official statements from the Forestry Commission indicate that equipment used for the illegal operations was seized and will be decommissioned. While the Commission celebrated the conviction they noted that several accomplices remain at large. The Upper East Regional Forestry Manager told local media that surveillance across the Red Volta Forest Reserve will be intensified to prevent further incursions by illegal miners commonly known as galamsey operators.