The issue of illegal mining around the Country by foreigners seems to be a serious issue affected the growth of the Liberian economy, specifically coastal counties referencing Grand Kru County, a situation that has drawn the attention of one of its lawmakers Representative Fonati Koffa.
On one of his tours in the County, Representative Koffa who appeared frustrated over the illegal mining by foreigners without due process of the law called on the executive to immediately deploy security around the Country in order to abort any these ugly acts that have the propensity to derail the growth of the Liberian economy and deny locals of their rights to these natural resources.
Speaking further in the County, Representative Koffa said he will intensify appeal to authorities of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) and the Liberian National Police (LNP) to increase the presence of security officers in the county.
Representative Koffa who is also a lawyer by profession and won on the ticket of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), said the deployment of security officers will be necessary in order to help if not eliminate the illegal crossing of Nigerians and Ghanaians into Liberia to conduct illicit mining of minerals.
He told reporter during a press conference that due to the porosity of Liberia’s border in that county people from different background and nationality crossed into the country, especially into Grand Kru County to do illegal business.
The Grand Kru County lawmaker said his Easter Holiday Tour uncovered several issues but security and boarder porosity are the most urgent especially the illegal crossing of foreigners who are raping the forest off its minerals for their personal benefits.
“The most urgent problem in Grand Kru is illegal mining we have foreigners coming in at different points which are not boarder points and invading the county bringing in dragging machine a digging gold out of our waters and likely to cause environmental damage.
“The influx of foreigners has overwhelmed the capacity for local officials to control. Since this is foreigners invading our borders where there is no immigration, we think a request to the President to order the military into those areas will be constitutionally recognizable,” Koffa said.
Meanwhile, Representative Koffa disclosed that assessment team is already in the district to lay the grounds work for the kick start of his housing project.
This project will provide 10 homes for people in need every year for the next six years, he told journalists
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