Lawyers for Northern Ashanti Mines Limited Company (NAMLC) have warned the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) against accessing the server room or disconnecting CCTV cameras at the company’s Konongo mining site.
In a letter dated October 31, 2026, and addressed to the Director of Operations of NAIMOS, Vint and Aletheia Attorneys & Consultants urged the secretariat and its officers to refrain from interfering with the surveillance system pending the determination of an interlocutory injunction application before the court.
The lawyers alleged that NAIMOS officers had attempted to access the server room to disconnect or switch off the cameras following the emergence of CCTV footage allegedly showing Chinese nationals at the mining site.
According to the lawyers, the footage captured the presence of Chinese citizens who were allegedly introduced to the site by officials of NAIMOS and the Minerals Commission, including the commission’s Ashanti Regional Director.
They further alleged that recorded conversations showed an attempt by the Minerals Commission to transfer their client’s mining concession to the Chinese nationals. The lawyers said the footage had since been shown on national television.
Vint and Aletheia said they had received instructions that NAIMOS officers were attempting to access the server room after the footage emerged. They alleged that the intended disconnection of the cameras was aimed at concealing evidence of illegal activities that could be carried out by NAIMOS officers, agents and other persons associated with the operation.
The lawyers insisted that neither NAIMOS nor any state agency had the right to interfere with CCTV cameras installed by their client at its mining concessions.
They warned that they would consider legal action against the state, NAIMOS officers and any other persons involved in such interference.
They also expressed concern that switching off the cameras or tampering with the server infrastructure could compromise the preservation of electronic records that might be required in ongoing court proceedings.
The letter further disclosed that an application for an interlocutory injunction had been filed against relevant authorities, including the Minerals Commission and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, to protect the company’s interests while the dispute over its mining operations remains before the court.
Citing Articles 23 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution, the lawyers argued that administrative bodies and public officials were required to act fairly, reasonably and in accordance with due process.
They urged NAIMOS and its officers to refrain from accessing the server room, disconnecting the CCTV cameras or interfering with the server infrastructure at the Konongo site until the court determines the pending application.
The legal warning follows an operation at the company’s mining site on October 22, 2026, which the lawyers described as an invasion of their client’s lawfully acquired mining concessions.
According to the letter, NAIMOS officers gave the company’s personnel 12 hours to leave the premises.
The lawyers further alleged that illegal mining activities had continued at the concessions since the operation, despite NAIMOS taking over the sites.
The allegations raise further questions about the circumstances surrounding the operation, the presence of the Chinese nationals and the preservation of evidence at the disputed mining site.
The lawyers further alleged that illegal mining activities had continued at the concessions since the operation, despite NAIMOS taking over the sites.
Read the statement below:
