The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has intensified its nationwide campaign against illegal mining, leading to multiple arrests and the seizure of equipment in the Western North and Ashanti Regions.
According to the Minister for Government Communication, Felix Ofosu Kwakye, who shared the update on his Facebook page, the task force carried out two major coordinated missions on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, achieving what he described as “major successes.”
In the Western North Region, the NAIMOS Task Force intercepted a group of armed men engaged in illegal mining deep within the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve in the Aowin District. Several suspects were arrested, including a Chinese national believed to be their excavator operator.
A search of the site uncovered four pump-action guns, twenty-two cartridges, and three buckets containing a black substance suspected to be mining material.
Officials say the arrest marks a crucial step in disrupting armed mining syndicates operating within Ghana’s protected forest reserves.
Later that day, the task force extended its operations to the Boin River Forest Reserve in the Enchi District, continuing its crackdown on illegal mining activities.
In the Ashanti Region, NAIMOS teams targeted illegal mining hotspots in the Asante Akim and Juaso districts.
Acting on credible intelligence, the task force raided the Asuboa Mponua area of Asante Akim, where six excavators were found—two unserviceable and four immobilized.
Items such as a heavy-duty water pump, numerous hoses, empty fuel containers, and wooden structures were destroyed, while a generator set was seized as part of the operation.
The task force then proceeded to the Praakwa Forest Reserve in the Juaso District, where illegal miners were operating along the Pra River.
Six mining boats, washing platforms, and other equipment were destroyed, and about eight suspects were arrested.
The latest raids form part of NAIMOS’s sustained efforts to eliminate illegal mining, protect Ghana’s forest reserves, and safeguard water bodies from further degradation.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
