Illegal miners destroy Dagliga Cluster of Schools' football field and footpaths.
Major footpaths and a football field for sporting activities at the Dagliga cluster of schools in the Upper East Region's Nabdam District have been destroyed by illegal miners known as galamsayers.
In their pursuit of gold, the illegal miners dug pits on portions of the football field and footpaths, disrupting sports activities and endangering the lives of schoolchildren and teachers.
A visit to the schools by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) revealed that portions of the athletic field had been destroyed, as had major footpaths leading to the schools from the Logre and Kongo communities.
The illegal miners could be seen from a distance of about 200 meters away from the primary school.
Mr Roger Atidoor, the primary school's head teacher, stated that the destruction of the football field was negatively affecting sporting activities and that if the illegal miners were not stopped, all forms of sports in the school would be halted.
According to him, destroying the football field would have disastrous consequences for the school because it would not only disrupt practical lessons of Physical Education (PE) to unearth talents, but it would also deny the school the opportunity to grow.
He claimed that all efforts by the schools to stop the illegal miners had been futile, and that an official complaint to the Nabdam District Assembly had yielded no positive results.
Ms Mary Magdalene Wompakeah, the Nabdam District Director of Education, described the activities by the illegal miners as "a worrying situation that makes it difficult for teachers and students accessing the school".
Mr Maxwell Divom, Assemblyman for the Zanlerigu-Dagliga Electoral Area, stated that the initial position of the football field poles had to be changed last year due to illegal mining, and that if caution was not exercised, the illegal miners would mine into the school compound.
He stated that his organization attempted to halt the phenomenon but had no success because the miners claimed ownership of the land.
He stated that the issue had been reported to both the Nangodi and Pelungu police commands of the Ghana Police Service, but that no action had been taken because the Police had repeatedly complained about not having a vehicle to patrol the area.
Ms Agnes Anamoo, the Nabdam District Chief Executive, told the GNA that the galamsayers' activities had been reported to the Assembly and that her organization was working with the police to bring the perpetrators to justice.
She stated that the assembly was ready to call for the prosecution of the perpetrators and urged residents to provide information to the police in order for the illegal miners to be apprehended.
The District's Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), according to a source, is closely monitoring the miners' activities and will soon crack the whip, adding that the miners were tipped off when police visited the site over the weekend, resulting in no arrests.
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