The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has successfully secured the Atwima Mponua Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region through a bold and professionally executed operation.
Conducted on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, the joint task force comprising NAIMOS, troops from the 4th Infantry Battalion of the Ghana Army, and representatives from the Forestry Commission targeted illegal mining activities at Anhwiafutu in the Nkawie Forest District.
Upon arrival, the team found extensive signs of illegal mining across the forest, with excavator tracks indicating hasty removal of machinery.
The task force retrieved and immobilized 9 excavators, seized 2 Toyota Hilux pickups and 1 Nissan pickup, all concealed within the forest.
The team set ablaze 5 Chanfang machines, fuel dumps, old excavator engines, 7 water pumping machines, and personal belongings of illegal miners.
A house reportedly housing 12 Chinese illegal miners was raided; occupants fled before arrival.
A search uncovered 18 excavator batteries, 31 buckets of grease, 7 gas cylinders, 1 mini car washing machine, and 1 excavator radiator.
The seized excavators were immobilized onsite due to lack of low-bed trucks for transportation.
NAIMOS emphasizes this operation is part of a broader national effort to protect forest reserves and combat illegal mining networks.
“The message is clear: our forests are not safe havens for galamsey. This fight will be pursued until every inch of reserve land is secured,” said a senior NAIMOS official .
