The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), in collaboration with the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC), has carried out a major security operation that dismantled entrenched illegal mining networks within the Oda River Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region.
The intelligence-led mission, conducted on Thursday, October 23, 2025, saw the arrest of several illegal miners and nine armed men who had been posing as National Security operatives.
The coordinated exercise, jointly planned by NAIMOS Headquarters and the Ashanti REGSEC, was aimed at restoring order in one of Ghana’s most severely degraded forest reserves.
Three tactical teams were deployed by NAIMOS to block escape routes and apprehend suspects. Acting on intelligence, the taskforce intercepted a group of illegal miners attempting to flee on motorbikes. Fifteen individuals were arrested after admitting they had been warned of the taskforce’s approach.
In a dramatic turn, nine armed imposters dressed in khaki uniforms claimed to be National Security officers under the command of a certain “Major Jabari.”
Upon a search, the taskforce retrieved one pistol with three rounds, one toy gun, a pump-action shotgun, cartridges, handcuffs, and pouches. All were seized as evidence for investigation.
NAIMOS operatives also thwarted a bribery attempt by individuals who arrived in a Toyota Tundra and a Ram pickup to negotiate the release of some suspects.
The men allegedly offered GH₵100,000 and an additional GH₵20,000 as “chop money.”
The operatives pretended to cooperate before arresting them for attempting to bribe law enforcement officers.
The team further assessed the environmental destruction in the reserve and found widespread degradation—felled trees, polluted water bodies, and destroyed vegetation. Makeshift camps and wooden structures serving as living quarters and operational bases were demolished and burned to prevent reoccupation.
Meanwhile, another NAIMOS taskforce operating in the Western North Region raided illegal mining sites at Oda Ahenkro in the Amenfi West District, where several makeshift structures and equipment were destroyed or seized.
Director of Operations at NAIMOS, Colonel Dominic Buah, lauded the exercise as “a model of inter-agency cooperation and enforcement excellence.”
He vowed that no one would be allowed to exploit Ghana’s natural resources with impunity.
“No individual, group, or impostor will be allowed to exploit Ghana’s natural resources with impunity,” Colonel Buah stated.
“Through sustained partnerships with the Regional Security Councils, NAIMOS will continue to identify, dismantle, and neutralize illegal mining operations across the country to protect our forests and water bodies for future generations.”
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
