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 linked to illegal mining activities, commonly known as galamsey.
His comments come after some 600 youth attacked a team of military officers from the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) during an anti-galamsey operation.
The incident occurred after the soldiers arrested two suspected illegal miners and seized vehicles and weapons at a mining site near Bronikrom–Hwediem. The arrests reportedly sparked unrest among some locals, who confronted the task force, forcing police to intervene.
With the support of community leaders, officers from the Hwidiem Police Command managed to safely evacuate the military team to Kenyase.
The thugs 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, Prof. Abavare accused some politicians of being the real masterminds behind galamsey, describing the conduct of the alleged MPs as “a betrayal of public trust.”
He specifically mentioned Ebenezer Kwaku Addo and Collins Dauda, whom he accused of bringing Parliament into disrepute.
“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.
Prof. Abavare said the alleged involvement of senior politicians in galamsey confirmed long-held suspicions that the illegal mining menace is being fuelled by powerful figures who profit from environmental destruction while pretending to fight it.
“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 further urged Parliament and political parties to take decisive action to preserve their credibility.
“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 warned.
Prof. Abavare also invoked the memory of Major Maxwell Mahama and other officials who lost their lives fighting galamsey, saying their sacrifices should not be in vain.
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 marks a major policy shift in Ghana’s efforts to curb illegal mining and protect its forest reserves.
The controversial L.I. 2462, which permitted mining in forest reserves, has faced heavy criticism from environmentalists and civil society groups for enabling forest degradation.
The new revocation instrument, now before Parliament, aims to reinforce Ghana’s environmental protection framework and signal a tougher stance against illegal mining.
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