Illegal mining taskforce must shoot and kill, says IEPR boss

The Executive director for the Institute for Energy Policies and Research, Kwadwo Poku has reiterated his call on the government to adopt a shoot and kill approach to curb illegal mining on Ghana’s water bodies.

Speaking with Kwaku Nhyira-Addo on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (15 August), Poku said implementing such tough measure will serve as a deterrent to others.

As the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) announces new tariffs for electricity and water, effective 1 September, Poku said the pollution at the river bodies results in high water tariffs.

“You are supposed to stay 10 metres away from river bodies, if that person is not a metre, five metres away from the river body, it is in the river body, is that conversation a negotiable conversation? It is not. For me, it is a straight down the line crack the whip,” Poku said.

“I am a bit extreme on this, I am on record to have said that if the military or police or the taskforce go down and the people have gun, they should shoot and kill,” Poku said.

“…I honestly don’t see how somebody is putting mercury acid in our water body, which will kill people downstream and when they have gun to shoot at the taskforce, they can’t return fire and kill them, because they are killing people down the stream anyway.”

Listen to Kwadwo Poku  in the attached audio below:

Listen to the full interview in the attached video below:

Fred Dzakpata

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