THE police at Zebilla in the Bawku West District have arrested 34 illegal miners in a surprise swoop at Bulinga, a farming community in the Upper East Region.

The illegal miners had destroyed about 250 hectares of farmlands and water bodies, some of which are tributaries of the White Volta and serve as drinking water.

The swoop was carried out by a combined police team from Bawku and Zebilla Divisions, led by the Zebilla District Commander of Police, Superintendent of Police Christian Dogbatse, and the Bawku Divisional Crime Officer, Superintendent of Police Seidu Adamu.

This was made known by the Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Thomas Agbanyo, who said the exercise was in line with the quest to rid the place of illegal mining activities and save the environment from further destruction.

He said the culprits had in their possession pick axes, shovels and head pans at the time of the swoop and would be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.

According to the District Chief Executive for the area, Mr Simon Anyande Agbango, prior to the exercise, the assembly had given an ultimatum to the miners to regularise their operations after several community sensitisation and education programmes by the District Security Committee, but the miners failed to do so, hence the exercise.