A routine patrol along the banks of the polluted Ankobra River turned into a high-stakes confrontation this week, as the government’s anti-illegal mining task force, NAIMOS, overpowered four heavily armed men accused of defending an active “galamsey” pit.
The operation, which took place around 3:25 p.m. on May 20 in the Dominase area (Nzema East Municipality), unfolded when officers detected the tell-tale signs of illegal mining: churned earth, dredging equipment, and the distant roar of excavators. But as the team closed in, they realised they were not facing ordinary miners.
According to an official NAIMOS statement released after the incident, the suspects, identified as Alpha Musa (28), Rahaman Rojer (29), Laji Bengali (25), and Mohammed Agana (25), were found wielding a lethal mix of machetes and pump-action shotguns.
Their role, investigators say, was twofold: actively digging for gold while simultaneously acting as armed sentinels to protect the site from security forces.
When ordered to halt, the suspects violently resisted, attempting to obstruct the operation. However, NAIMOS said its officers managed to subdue and arrest all four without sustaining any injuries.
During preliminary interrogation, a startling claim emerged. The arrested men allegedly told investigators they were acting under the protection of certain National Security personnel known only as “Ras,” “Mambo,” and “Nana Teku,” reportedly based in Prestea.
NAIMOS has since referred those names to the police for further scrutiny.
Beyond the immediate threat of weapons, authorities highlighted the environmental devastation linked to the group.
The suspects are accused of triggering extensive destruction to nearby forest reserves and contributing heavily to the chemical and silt pollution now choking the Ankobra River, a vital water source for surrounding communities.
The items seized from the site paint a picture of a sophisticated, heavily defended operation, such as two pump-action guns and 82 AA cartridges, three machetes, one water-pumping machine and two control boards removed from SDLG excavators.
Unable to secure low-bed trucks to cart away two massive excavators found on-site, the task force rendered the machines useless by yanking out their control boards, effectively immobilising them where they stood.
The four suspects, along with their mobile phones and even a talisman, were handed over to ASP Asiedu at the Esiama District Police for further investigation and prosecution.
In a final note, NAIMOS vowed to intensify its raids across the country, warning that neither armed thugs nor alleged security collaborators would be allowed to derail the fight against galamsey.
The secretariat also thanked residents for their intelligence, which it credited as a key factor in the operation’s success.
