The President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Eri
The President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Eric Abavare, has called for the immediate resignation of two Members of Parliament allegedly involved in illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey.
His call follows a violent incident in which about 600 youth launched an attack on military personnel from the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) during an anti-galamsey operation in Hwediem.
The confrontation reportedly began after the military team arrested two suspected illegal miners and impounded vehicles and weapons at a mining site near Bronikrom–Hwediem. The arrests allegedly angered some residents, leading to a violent clash as locals confronted the soldiers, prompting police intervention.
With the assistance of community leaders, officers from the Hwidiem Police Command successfully escorted the military personnel to safety in Kenyase, preventing further escalation.
The attackers were allegedly led by the Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Hon. Ebenezer Kwaku Addo.
In a strongly worded Facebook post on Monday, November 3, 2025, Professor Abavare accused certain politicians of being the true architects of illegal mining, stating that the alleged involvement of the MPs amounted to “a betrayal of public trust.”
Professor Abavare specifically named Ebenezer Kwaku Addo and Collins Dauda, accusing them of tarnishing the image of Parliament through their alleged involvement in illegal mining.
“If what we saw and heard is true in the video, then they should quickly do themselves the needful to resign as sitting MPs. It is shameful and brings the name of the August House into disrepute,” he stated.,
He further argued that the alleged complicity of senior politicians in galamsey only reinforces long-held suspicions that the menace is driven by powerful individuals who secretly benefit from the very destruction they claim to oppose.
“When we say galamsey is orchestrated and masterminded by older and powerful people, some disbelieve it. Here you are, the so-called Honourables of Parliament, clothed and fed by the poor who pay taxes to protect them through making laws, are themselves deeply behind this carnage,” he wrote.
The KNUST UTAG President, Professor Eric Abavare, further urged Parliament and political parties to take swift and decisive action to restore public confidence and protect the integrity of Ghana’s democratic institutions.
“We now know who the wreckers and saboteurs are against Ghana’s progress. Those who are not yet caught should note that the hour will come, and we will certainly catch you. Therefore, stop the shameful act now,” he cautioned.
Prof. Abavare also invoked the memory of Major Maxwell Mahama and other security personnel who lost their lives in the fight against illegal mining, emphasizing that their sacrifices must not be in vain.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, on Friday, October 31, laid before Parliament the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Revocation Instrument, 2025, which seeks to revoke the controversial L.I. 2462.
The new instrument represents a significant policy shift in Ghana’s ongoing efforts to combat illegal mining and safeguard forest reserves.
The now-contested L.I. 2462, which allowed mining in forest reserves, has long faced criticism from environmentalists and civil society organizations for contributing to widespread forest degradation.
If approved, the revocation instrument will strengthen Ghana’s environmental protection framework and reaffirm the government’s commitment to a tougher stance against illegal mining activities.