Ghana’s National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has carried out a series of operations against illegal mining activities in the Eastern Region, leading to the arrest of foreign nationals and the destruction of equipment used along the Birim River.
The operations were conducted on 16 and 17 January, with NAIMOS working alongside the Blue Water Guards to target sites identified through intelligence gathering.
On Friday, officers moved into Apoli Beposo in the Akim Oda Swedru District, where illegal miners were found operating directly in the Birim River. According to NAIMOS, the miners fled on sight of the task force, abandoning equipment as they crossed the river to escape.
Four machines known locally as chanfan units were retrieved and destroyed at the site, halting mining activity in the river. NAIMOS said the operation had temporarily reduced pollution and discouraged miners from returning to the waterway.
Later the same day, the task force raided another site at Apoli, where three Chinese nationals were arrested on suspicion of engaging in illegal mining. A vehicle was seized and makeshift structures at the site were demolished. The suspects were escorted to Accra under armed security for further investigation.
On Saturday, NAIMOS teams moved to Nyafoman in the Birim North Municipality, an area known for hazardous mining practices. Most miners fled before arrests could be made, but several machines, structures and other equipment were destroyed.
Officials said intelligence indicated that many of the miners operating in the area were foreign nationals, including Burkinabe, and that chemicals such as cyanide were being used, posing serious environmental and public health risks.
Later in the day, the task force visited Domeabra, also in the Birim North Municipality, where miners again abandoned their operations. Two excavators found at the site were already disabled, according to NAIMOS.
The Secretariat said the operations had disrupted illegal mining logistics, caused financial losses to operators, and restored a degree of order to affected rivers and surrounding land.
NAIMOS added that it was considering the permanent deployment of field operatives to mining hotspots in the Eastern Region, alongside improved river patrols, to prevent illegal mining from resuming along the Birim River.
