Attorney General Orders EOCO to Investigate Joseph Yammin and Yakubu Abanga’s Suspected Ties to Galamsey

President John Dramani Mahama has ordered the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to investigate two top National Democratic Congress (NDC) officials for their alleged involvement in illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey’.

In a letter addressed to the Executive Director of EOCO, Raymond Archer, and signed by the Attorney General, Dominic Akurutinga Ayine, the President directed that the two individuals – NDC’s National Organiser Joseph Yamin and National Vice Chairman Yakubu Abanga – as well as others credibly found to be involved in the menace, be investigated.

“I write to direct your esteemed office to initiate investigations into suspected illegal mining activities being perpetrated by certain individuals within mining districts in the country.” the statement began.

It continued that the directive is due to the ongoing public debate about galamsey and its effects on the environment, as well as credible media reports exposing some individuals for their complicity in the menace in contravention of the country’s laws, specifically the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended by Act 995. 

“These activities not only flout our mining regulations but also gravely endanger our water bodies, forest reserves, and local livelihoods.” the statement continued. “I am directing your Office to invite the following persons named in recent credible reports for interrogation namely, Mr. Yakubu Abanga and Mr. Joseph Yamin. Additionally, you are to investigate any other persons found to be complicit in these unlawful mining activities. The scope of this investigation should include the matters highlighted in the Prof. Frimpong Boateng’s report on illegal mining.”

The Attorney General expressed optimism that EOCO would treat the matter with the seriousness it deserved to bring those destroying the country to book.

Analysis of Mahama’s directive for galamsey investigations

The news from the Attorney General’s office is a welcome change to the business-as-usual approach in Ghanaian politics, where individuals from one’s own party are never punished when they commit crimes.

In the NPP’s eight years, we saw an impunity towards alleged wrongdoing by the President’s appointees, which fostered more wrongdoing.

Ghanaians ended up paying a high price for that via runaway corruption which led to misuse or outright looting of public funds.

This represented a welcome change from that and one can only hope the NDC will follow through with this and not just be engaging in ‘PR and settings’, as the NPP has accused them of doing.