On May 29, 2017, six years ago, Major Maxwell Mahama, who was sent on a mission to fight galamsey was lynched by residents of Denkyira Odumasiin the Cenral region.
The horrific act which was captured on video and went viral, showed how the residents pounced on a man who was sent to go help save their forest and water bodies.
In the video, he was beaten with sticks, stones, building blocks, after which they set him on fire, while he begged for his life, telling them that, he was an army officer.
It is not unexpected that security personnel sometimes pay the supreme price in the line of duty while trying to thwart criminal elements from hatching and perfecting their evil plots.
However, if after going through such an ordeal and the purpose for which they sacrificed their lives, goes on unabated, then they would have died for nothing.
What is painful, in the considered opinion of this newspaper is that, not only is the family of Major Maxwell Mahama, still waiting for justice, but that the fight against illegal mining has been lost.
It is no surprise to this newspaper that, soldiers who were later sent to protect the forests and river bodies, have turned round to be providing security to the very people they are supposed to be fighting.
The galamseyers, although have deep pockets and seem to have their way, no single individual or group is more powerful than the state.
As a country we owe it to the memory of Major Maxwell Mahama and all those who havelost their lives in thefight against this menace that, the fight must be won at all cost.
We can’t throw our hands in the air and go to sleep, hoping they will come to their sense and stop the wanton destruction of our forests and water bodies, in any situation where money is concerned, conscience no longer applies, that is why those who take the pleasure in destroying the forests and water bodies should be identified, isolated and dealt with according to the law, to serve as deterrent to others.
