The opposition National Democratic Congress has described the recent arrest of President of the Concerned Small Scale Miners Association as an attempt to intimidate and silence critical voices.
Michael Kwadwo Peprah was reportedly arrested last night at his residence in the Ashanti Region by officials of the Cybercrime unit of the Ghana police Service.
Sources say Mr. Kwadwo Peprah is being detained at the Central Police Station in Kumasi waiting to be transported to Accra. He has been provisionally charged with causing fear and panic.
The arrest was effected allegedly on the instructions of the Minister of Environment, Science and Innovation, Professor Frimpong Boateng.
His arrest comes on the back of a planned press conference by the association to address matters relating to government’s handling of the mining sector.
Condemning the arrest, the Communication officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi in a statement said the arrest forms part of attempts by the Akufo-Addo-led government to intimidate, harass and mute people who are critical of the government ahead of the December elections.
Mr. Gyamfi who described the government as oppressive and despotic alleged that Mr. Kwadwo Peprah has been denied access to his lawyers by the police.
“The NDC condemns this shameful act, which is part of a desperate scheme by the oppressive and despotic Akufo Addo-government to intimidate, harass and silence critical voices ahead of the 2020 general elections,” he said
While calling on the media to follow up on the issue and give it the needed public attention it deserves, the NDC’s Communication Officer in the statement urged the general public to “speak up against the culture of oppression and tyranny being supervised by President Akufo Addo, because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
It will be recalled that Mr. Michael Kwadwo in February this year disclosed that members of his Association have lost faith in efforts by government to stop the activities of illegal miners in the country.
The group said a document known as the Multilateral Mining Integrated project which was created after a broad discussion with stakeholders in the mining industry had been abandoned by government and replaced with the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Mining, a move they noted had led to loss in the fight against illegal mining popularly called galamsey.
