The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), in collaboration with the Northern Command of the Ghana Army and the Ghana Police Service, has arrested 10 suspected illegal miners during a joint operation at Kpali, near Gbinyiri, in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region.
The operation, conducted between August 25 and 27, 2026, was aimed at disrupting illegal mining activities and preventing further environmental degradation in the area.
According to NAIMOS, the operation followed a reconnaissance mission conducted on August 19, which confirmed reports of illegal mining activities at the Kpali mining site.
Following the intelligence gathered during the reconnaissance exercise, a joint task force comprising personnel from NAIMOS, the Ghana Army and the Ghana Police Service was deployed to the area to conduct enforcement operations.
During the operation, the security team encountered individuals actively engaged in illegal mining activities at the site.
Ten suspects were arrested in connection with the activities. The suspects comprised three Chinese nationals and seven Ghanaians.
NAIMOS said the team also observed significant environmental degradation at the mining site, underscoring the impact of the illegal operations on the surrounding environment.
The joint operation also resulted in the seizure of a number of items believed to have been used in the illegal mining activities.
The items seized included two excavators, three excavator monitors, a Toyota Hilux vehicle, a fuel bowser and other mining equipment.
In addition to the mining equipment, the task force recovered three firearms and 25 live cartridges during the operation.
The recovery of the firearms and ammunition has raised further security concerns surrounding illegal mining operations, as the items are now expected to form part of the evidence in the ongoing investigations.
To prevent the immediate return of illegal miners to the site, the task force dismantled 15 makeshift structures believed to have been used by the miners.
A generator being used at the mining site was also destroyed as part of efforts to disrupt the operations and make it difficult for illegal miners to quickly resume their activities.
The heavy equipment seized during the operation has since been secured at designated holding sites.
Following the operation, the 10 arrested suspects and relevant exhibits were handed over to the Savannah Regional Police Command in Damongo for further investigation and appropriate legal action.
The police are expected to conduct further investigations into the activities of the suspects and determine the appropriate charges based on the evidence gathered.
NAIMOS said the operation forms part of its broader efforts, in partnership with Ghana’s security agencies, to combat illegal mining and protect the country’s environment and natural resources.
Illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, remains a major environmental concern in Ghana, particularly because of its impact on forests, farmlands and water bodies.
NAIMOS said it would continue to work closely with the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service and other relevant institutions to identify, disrupt and dismantle illegal mining operations across vulnerable areas.
The Secretariat said its continued operations would focus on preventing illegal miners from establishing or re-establishing mining sites and protecting environmentally sensitive areas from further degradation.
The latest operation at Kpali, near Gbinyiri, therefore forms part of the ongoing security-led campaign to curb illegal mining activities and safeguard the environment within the Savannah Region
By 1960news.com
