NAIMOS Strikes Gold in Anti-Galamsey Raid: Dismantles Oda River Network, Nabs 15 Miners, 9 Armed Imposters, and 2 Bribe Triers
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has scored a decisive victory in Ghana’s escalating war on galamsey, dismantling a entrenched illegal mining syndicate in the Oda River Forest Reserve, Ashanti Region, and arresting 15 miners, nine armed imposters posing as National Security operatives, and two attempted bribe-givers.
The intelligence-led operation, executed on October 23 in tandem with the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC), highlights the government’s renewed resolve to reclaim degraded lands amid a crisis that has polluted 70% of rivers and wiped out 2.7 million hectares of forest since 2010.
Deploying three tactical teams to seal access routes, NAIMOS operatives intercepted fleeing miners on motorbikes, with 15 surrendering after admitting to prior warnings.
Deeper into the reserve—once reclaimed with trees and palms but now scarred by dredging—the taskforce uncovered a makeshift camp of wooden shelters and tents, which they torched to deter reoccupation, alongside seizing changfans, pumps, and generators.
“The once-vibrant forest is now a wasteland of pollution and pits,” noted NAIMOS Director of Operations Colonel Dominic Buah, who lauded the “model of inter-agency cooperation” with REGSEC for logistical backing.
The raid’s drama peaked with the capture of nine khaki-clad men claiming to be under “Major Jabari,” armed with a pistol (three rounds), a pump-action shotgun (three cartridges), a toy pistol, handcuffs, and pouches—exhibits now under forensic scrutiny.
Parallel to this, in Western North, NAIMOS raided Oda Ahenkro in Amenfi West, disrupting sites and destroying equipment, part of a broader offensive that has seized over 500 machines since January.
Adding insult to injury, two suspects in a Toyota Tundra and Ram pickup approached officers offering GH¢100,000 plus GH¢20,000 “chop money” for releases— a ploy NAIMOS feigned acceptance for before cuffing them. Colonel Buah affirmed, “No individual, group, or impostor will be allowed to exploit Ghana’s natural resources with impunity… We will continue to neutralize these operations to protect our forests and water bodies for future generations.
This triumph, amid Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah’s revocation of 278 small-scale licenses on October 23, signals a multi-pronged assault—with 22 Burkinabé nabbed in Amansie West the same day—aiming to halt the $1.5 billion annual environmental toll. Critics praise the coordination but warn of job losses; supporters see it as essential for sustainable mining in Ghana’s $6.5 billion gold sector.
