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….As GH₵120,000 bribe offer fails
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) last week arrested 13 heavily armed Chinese nationals engaged in illegal mining, also known as “Galamsey”, in two separate operations in the Western and Ashanti Regions.
The coordinated operations took place at Abusa in the Ashanti Region and Hiawa Koofrom in the Western Region.
During one of the exercises, NAIMOS operatives also intercepted individuals who tried to bribe them with GH₵120,000 for the release of the arrested miners. The suspects were immediately detained for attempting to bribe law enforcement officers.
Weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and other items were seized from the foreigners, who had taken over forested areas, destroyed vegetation, and polluted water bodies through their illegal activities.
At Abusa, the Secretariat, in collaboration with the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC), dismantled a major illegal mining network operating within the Oda River Forest Reserve.
The intelligence-led operation, conducted on 23 October 2025, resulted in the arrest of several illegal miners and nine armed impostors posing as National Security operatives. The impostors, dressed in khaki uniforms, claimed to be acting on the orders of a certain “Major Jabari”.
Nine pump-action guns and several cartridges were seized from the Chinese nationals, as well as a black Toyota Land Cruiser Prado with registration number GC 2175-20. Structures being used as houses and stores were burnt by the NAIMOS taskforce.
A search conducted on the impostors uncovered a pistol loaded with three rounds of ammunition, a toy pistol, a pump-action shotgun, additional cartridges, and handcuffs, all of which were seized as exhibits.
It was here that NAIMOS operatives arrested individuals who attempted to bribe them with GH₵120,000 for the release of the arrested illegal miners, and they were immediately detained for trying to bribe law enforcement officers.
The taskforce later discovered that the illegal miners had built a settlement deep within the forest, with wooden structures and tents serving as their operational bases. The makeshift camp and equipment were destroyed to prevent reoccupation.
At Hiawa Koofrom in the Amenfi Central District of the Western Region, NAIMOS recorded another major success in its nationwide crackdown on illegal mining.
The intelligence-led operation led to the arrest of three Chinese nationals, the seizure of a pump-action gun with four cartridges, and the impoundment of two excavators used for destructive mining activities along the Ankobrah River.
Acting swiftly on credible intelligence received from an informant who provided the GPS location of the illegal mining site, the NAIMOS taskforce moved to Hiawa Koofrom.
Upon arrival, the team encountered both Chinese and Ghanaian illegal miners, who had been alerted by local okada riders about the approaching taskforce.
Several suspects fled into the forest, but the operatives managed to apprehend three Chinese nationals. A Nissan Navara pickup truck was seized at the scene, together with a pump-action shotgun with four cartridges and mobile phones belonging to the arrested suspects.
The team also discovered two excavators, alongside large heaps of sand and paydirt, clear evidence of extensive environmental degradation along the riverbank.
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