The Director of Operations of the National Anti Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) narrowly escaped harm after a mob led by a sitting Member of Parliament allegedly attacked his team during an anti-illegal mining mission in the Ahafo Region.
The incident happened on Saturday, 1 November 2025, when the Director, accompanied by ten soldiers, was conducting a reconnaissance mission to identify a site for a permanent NAIMOS field task force. The mission was part of a broader plan to sustain the fight against illegal mining.
While driving along the Goaso to Hwidiem highway, the team spotted an excavator operating near Bronikrom and moved in to investigate. Several men were found actively mining and were immediately arrested. The Director instructed them to refill the pits they had dug to limit environmental damage.
The team then asked one of the suspects to call the site owner. A man claiming to be a Defence Intelligence officer from the region arrived first. Soon after, another man identified as Alex drove in a Toyota RAV4 and claimed ownership of the site. A third suspect arrived later in a Range Rover and was also arrested.
A search of their vehicles uncovered a Smith and Wesson pistol, two pistol magazines, twenty-one rounds of ammunition, twelve mobile phones, cash amounting to eleven thousand Ghana cedis, a black side bag, a power bank, and a Lexus ignition key.
As the team prepared to transfer the suspects to the Hwidiem Police Station, the Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, allegedly arrived at the scene with a group of men and demanded the immediate release of the suspects. The MP claimed he had been sent by Collins Dauda, the MP for the area, and insisted that the suspects, including a Burkinabe national, should not be seen in handcuffs.
When the Director refused, insisting that due process must be followed, the MP’s group reportedly turned violent. They forcibly removed the handcuffs from the suspects and chased the NAIMOS team toward Hwidiem.
At the police station, a crowd of about six hundred people gathered, demanding the release of the suspects and the seized vehicles. Witnesses said the MP incited the crowd, which threatened to burn down the police station if their demands were not met. The mob vandalised the Director’s Toyota Hilux and assaulted officers on the ground.
Reinforcements led by Chief Superintendent Prince Odom-Koduah, the Ahafo Regional Crime Officer, were called in to help control the situation. Despite the backup, tensions remained high until the Zongo Chief of Hwidiem, Alhaji Mohammed Bashiru Zarikyi, intervened and appealed for calm.
As darkness fell and power went out, the risk of violence increased. To prevent bloodshed, police and military officials agreed to release the seized vehicle keys to calm the mob. The Zongo Chief offered his own Toyota Sequoia to evacuate the Director and his team to safety at the Newmont site in Kenyase under police escort. During the evacuation, the soldiers were attacked and the Chief’s vehicle’s rear windscreen was shattered, but no one was injured.
Speaking after the incident, the NAIMOS Director described the MP’s actions as a serious obstruction of justice and a blow to the national effort to curb illegal mining. He urged all public officials to act within the law and support the fight against galamsey rather than protect offenders.
He assured that NAIMOS remains committed to its mission and warned illegal miners to desist from such activities. “The fight will continue until Ghana’s rivers and forests are restored,” he said.
