Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has declared in Parliament that Ghana President John Dramani Mahama will not shield any government official, party executive, or appointee found complicit in illegal mining (galamsey), pledging swift arrest and prosecution for offenders.

Responding to Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh’s call for weekly ministerial updates on forest and water-body destruction, Ayariga stressed that the administration’s stance is uncompromising: “Today, any government official found aiding and abetting galamsey will be arrested. Any party official, no matter how high — national or regional level — the President will not intervene. He will allow the due process of the law to deal with you.”

Ayariga contrasted this position with the previous Akufo-Addo administration, which he accused of ignoring reports implicating regional chairmen and protecting culprits.

The pledge comes amid intensified anti-galamsey operations under the reactivated National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS). On November 19, a NAIMOS taskforce member was killed and four others injured in a crash near Obuasi during a raid, underscoring the risks faced by frontline personnel.

Meanwhile a widely circulated video on social media, posted on 20 November, 2025 shows illegal mining operations in full swing at night, sparking increased calls for 24 hour surveillance.

Public pressure has further mounted following revelations that armed miners now control five forest reserves and that galamsey has polluted 60% of Ghana’s water bodies. The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference and organised labour groups have called for a state of emergency in mining zones to halt the environmental destruction.