The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has carried out a major clampdown on illegal mining activities along the Ankobra River, Kamei Stream, and Abrodiem in the Nzema East Municipality of the Western Region.
The latest operation, conducted on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, forms part of a renewed nationwide offensive to reclaim polluted water bodies and restore degraded lands.
The team, acting on intelligence, stormed the galamsey sites where large-scale environmental destruction was underway.
During the exercise, the task force seized or destroyed several pieces of equipment used by the illegal miners, including one excavator, seven chanfangs, and 88 water pumping machines. In addition, about 100 makeshift structures erected along the riverbanks were set ablaze.
Other items recovered included gas cylinders, plastic chairs, shovels, a generator set, a pickaxe, and even a DSTV dish, believed to have been used by the miners at their operational bases.
The operation, announced by Minister of State for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, on Wednesday, October 8, marks another decisive move by NAIMOS to stamp out illegal mining, which continues to threaten Ghana’s water bodies and farmlands.
Authorities say the Ankobra River has suffered severe contamination due to galamsey activities, forcing local communities to depend on unsafe water sources.
NAIMOS has vowed to sustain the pressure on illegal miners and ensure that the offenders face prosecution.
Mr. Kwakye Ofosu emphasized that government remains resolute in its commitment to protecting the environment and warned individuals and financiers behind galamsey operations that they would be pursued relentlessly until the menace is eradicated.
