By Felix Cofie
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has intensified its fight against illegal mining with a targeted nighttime operation along the Ankobrah River at Ayiem Juabo in the Amenfi Central District of the Western Region.
The operation, carried out at about 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 14, followed intelligence reports of ongoing galamsey activities that had severely polluted sections of the river upstream. Acting on this information, NAIMOS field officers stormed an illegal mining camp situated directly on the riverbank to halt the destructive activities and safeguard the water body.
Seven suspected illegal miners were arrested during the operation. They include two juveniles—15-year-old Benja Nakura Abdul-Wahid and 16-year-old Numbor Kwasi Musah—as well as Kombate Indabre, 20, who was found with a Ghana Card bearing the name Kombate Damban but denied ownership. The others are Mawuli Boni, 29; Justice Mensah, 40, from Alavanyo; Bright Kwasi Nkrumah, 35; and Kwabena Lambon, 30.
Officers retrieved several items used in the illegal mining operations, including nine water pumping machines, mining trays and pans, charms, and mobile phones. All makeshift structures at the site were dismantled, and equipment found at the camp was destroyed to prevent the resumption of mining activities.
The suspects were handed over to the Ayiem Juabo Police Station to assist with further investigations and possible prosecution. The seized pumping machines have been transported to the NAIMOS headquarters in Accra for safekeeping and further action in accordance with established procedures.
As part of broader efforts to curb illegal mining, NAIMOS says it has begun implementing plans to permanently deploy field officers to identified high-risk galamsey zones. The strategy is aimed at reducing response times, strengthening intelligence-led operations, and increasing the frequency of both daytime and nighttime enforcement actions across affected districts.
NAIMOS has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining sustained pressure on illegal mining networks, stressing that continuous field presence and rapid-response operations remain central to protecting Ghana’s water bodies and forest reserves.
