Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has given NAIMOS officials tasked with fighting illegal mining permission to defend themselves, no matter what it takes.
In a video shared on X on October 27, 2026, Armah-Kofi Buah acknowledged that individuals involved in illegal mining are dangerous and would not hesitate to cause harm to security officials.
According to him, soldiers tasked with fighting illegal mining, which he described as a cancer in the country, should likewise not hesitate to defend themselves, regardless of the circumstances.
‘You have every right to defend yourself’ – Armah-Kofi Buah tells NAIMOS officers
“You saw how dangerous some of these folks are, and let me commend our patriotic soldiers. You have my complete instruction: you have every right to defend yourself. If anybody decides that they will stand in your way, you have every right to defend yourself,” he said.
The minister also expressed optimism about winning the fight against illegal mining in the country.
According to him, he would go to any lengths to fish out individuals hiding behind illegal mining to destroy Ghana’s forest reserves and water bodies.
He explained that the country’s water bodies and forests must be protected for future generations.
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“But we will win this fight because our children and the next generation must live. And we have a responsibility to live in this protected forest that gives us air, that gives us water for the next generation. We are not stopping. We are coming to get you wherever you are hiding in the deepest forest.
“Because we are determined to protect our forest. We are determined to protect the source of our water. We are determined to protect the source of our health, our environment. This is a fight for every well-meaning Ghanaian. It’s a fight for our lifetime. And we will win.”
Watch the video below:
“YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO DEFEND YOURSELF” — LANDS MINISTER TO NAIMOS OFFICIALS
— Metro TV Ghana (@metrotvgh) October 27, 2026
Lands Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has charged NAIMOS officials to defend themselves during an anti-illegal mining crackdown in the Atewa Forest.
#MetroTV #GhanaNews #NAIMOS #Galamsey #AtewaForest
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