A major crackdown on illegal mining unfolded on Thursday, 2026, as the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) taskforce embarked on a large-scale operation across parts of the Western Region, with particular focus on the Ahanta West Municipality and surrounding districts. The coordinated exercise formed part of sustained efforts to halt the destruction of water bodies and farmlands caused by galamsey activities.
The operation commenced at about 7:30 a.m. when the taskforce raided an illegal mining site at Agonakrom, within the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly. At the location, miners were found actively operating within a stream that feeds directly into the Hwin River, posing a serious threat to water quality and aquatic life. Several water pumps and pipelines installed in and along the stream were destroyed to immediately halt the pollution.
At approximately 9:25 a.m., the taskforce moved to another illegal mining site popularly referred to as “Agenda 111” at Mpohor and its surrounding areas. The site is located about 200 metres from land designated for the construction of a hospital under the government’s Agenda 111 project. Illegal miners at the site had blocked portions of the Butre River within a palm plantation and were mining directly in the water, causing extensive environmental damage. The miners fled upon sighting the taskforce vehicles.
Two Sany excavators found at the site were transported to the Mpohor District Office and immobilised by removing their monitors and control boards. Three water pumping machines were also seized during the operation. Additionally, explosives discovered at the site were safely disposed of by an explosives expert attached to the taskforce.
Several makeshift structures, old water pumps and hoses were set ablaze, while multiple changfan machines operating within the river were destroyed to prevent further illegal activity.
Further intelligence-led operations led the taskforce to the residences of suspected illegal miners, where a number of items were seized. These included seven pump action guns, twelve BB cartridges, a 32-inch television set, three radios, a control board, an unregistered grey Toyota Hilux vehicle, and three water pumping machines.
Following this, the taskforce conducted extensive patrols along the Butre River flow line within the Mpohor District, destroying additional makeshift structures and pumping machines belonging to local illegal miners. Operations later continued in the Mpohor Fiase general area, with renewed focus on sections of the Butre River, where more changfan machines and temporary structures were dismantled.
Observations from the day’s operations revealed that many illegal mining sites had already been abandoned, a development attributed to the sustained presence and dominance of the NAIMOS taskforce in the region.
NAIMOS has indicated that the operations will be extended and intensified across the Ahanta West Municipality and other adjoining assemblies to ensure that all water bodies are fully protected from illegal mining activities.
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