By [Kingsley Asiedu]
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has condemned recent violent confrontations involving illegal miners and state task forces, vowing to intensify nationwide operations against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Addressing journalists on Friday at a press conference in Accra, Ama Mawusi Mawuenyefia, Director of Communications at the Ministry, detailed two separate incidents in the Ahafo and Ashanti regions that underscore the growing resistance facing anti-galamsey enforcement teams.
According to Mawuenyefia, on Saturday, Nov. 1, a ten-member team from the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), led by Colonel Dominic Buah, came under threat while conducting a reconnaissance mission in Goaso. The operation aimed to identify a suitable site for a permanent NAIMOS field base.
On their return, the team discovered an active illegal mining site by the roadside at Bonikrom, about 10 meters from the Hwidiem–Goaso highway in the Ahafo Region. The miners fled upon sighting the team, leaving behind a Burkinabe national operating an excavator.
“Col. Buah instructed the suspect to refill the dug pits to prevent further environmental degradation,” Mawuenyefia said. “While waiting for the site owner to be called, the NAIMOS task force set ablaze makeshift shelters used by the illegal miners.”
The situation later escalated, prompting intervention from local police and community leaders. Chief Superintendent Prince Odom-Kodua, Ahafo Regional Crime Officer, led a 15-
member regional task force, supported by Superintendent John Atanga, the Divisional Commander for Kenyase. In a bid to restore calm and avoid bloodshed, police and the local Zongo Chief decided to release seized vehicle keys to their owners.
“The Zongo Chief even offered his Toyota Sequoia vehicle to evacuate Col. Buah and his officers under police escort,” Mawuenyefia added.
Following the incident, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah, reported the matter to the Speaker of Parliament and the Interior Minister, calling for “swift and impartial investigations.” The Inspector-General of Police has since directed the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters to take over the case.
Hon. Buah condemned the attack as “an affront to state authority” and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ending illegal mining.
In a related development, Mawuenyefia disclosed that a team from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), led by CEO Prof. Browne Klutse, was involved in a motor accident at Afari near Obuasi after being chased by illegal miners at Dadwene. Two journalists accompanying the EPA team were reported to be in critical condition, with several others sustaining injuries.
The EPA has been stepping up enforcement actions, including shutting down warehouses that supply illegal mining equipment.
Hon. Buah, who also serves as Acting Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), expressed “utmost disappointment” over the incidents but vowed that such attacks would not deter the government’s efforts.
“Illegal mining is a criminal act,” he emphasized. “Any attempt to obstruct or attack law enforcement officers engaged in anti-galamsey operations will be treated as an offence against the state. No one—regardless of their political, social, or traditional status—will be spared.”
The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to protecting Ghana’s lands, forests, and water bodies.
“These recent events will not slow us down,” Mawuenyefia declared. “They have only strengthened our resolve. Illegal mining must stop. Ghana must win this fight.”
