The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu, has reiterated his proposal for illegal miners, particularly those destroying our water bodies, to be shot and killed.
Describing such persons as wicked, he stated that their deeds amount to mass murder and that they must face the consequences.
He opined that persons who engage in illegal mining and destroy our water bodies are mass murderers because their illegal activities kill more than a person compared to a murderer who has liked an individual.
He said this during an interview with Asaasepa FM.
He said this in response to a query on whether he stood firm in advocating for illegal miners to be shot and killed, a remark that received widespread outrage.
The lawmaker said his comments were misconstrued and misrepresented in the media.
The Bekwai MP clarified that he had called for illegal miners, particularly those who mine in our water bodies, to be shot.
“My comments in 2017 were misrepresented. The media twisted my comments. What I said at the time and still stand by it was that those who engage in illegal mining, particularly those who mine in our water bodies, should be shot. I would wish that all those who criticised me would speak now. When you are faced with a crisis, the way you respond to it is very critical. Anybody who mines in our water bodies is purely wicked, and if I had the power, I would review the law and ensure that if you are seen mining in water bodies, you will be shot. By then Alban Bagin was the Second Deputy Speaker, and he had questioned whether I was implying we should shoot to kill.
I still stand by my position. If you chase after them, they will move to a different location. Only wicked people would mine in our water bodies. Gold dredging did not start today, but we did not see people destroy our water bodies as we see today.”
When probed further if his comments were not extreme and could affect the electoral victory of the NPP, he said the activities of these illegal miners are a threat to our national wellbeing, and in dealing with it, we must forget about any political consequences and deal with the illegal mining activities once and for all.
“I have not changed my position. If you are seen mining in our water bodies, you must be shot. It is not everyone who dies after they are shot. The best way to deal with this problem is to look for snippets and shoot such people. There is absolutely nothing wrong if we shoot people mining in our water bodies and they die. The reason why we have not been able to do this is because we have not amended the law.”
