The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), in collaboration with the Blue Water Guards, on Thursday conducted a coordinated surprise operation against illegal miners operating on and along the Ankobrah River at Agbanzie in the Nzema East District of the Western Region. The early morning operation, which took place between 0800 hours and 1120 hours, followed intelligence reports that illegal miners had deployed two excavators along the river body. While on route to the site, the taskforce detected an excavator being tracked toward the river. Upon sighting the approaching officers, the operators fled, abandoning the machine. To prevent it from being moved into the nearby forest, the taskforce immobilised the excavator by removing its monitor and electronic jumper.
At the main site, officers discovered two SDLG excavators, described as almost brand new, fitted with several Chanfang machines and actively working on the river. Initial assessment by NAIMOS operators revealed that the illegal miners had deliberately removed certain control components in an apparent attempt to frustrate any seizure and relocation of the machines. In the absence of lowbed services to transport the equipment, the taskforce rendered the excavators permanently inoperable by dismantling and removing critical components. These included two system units, two fuse boxes, two monitors, two oil pumps, one gear lever, and two batteries.
Authorities noted that the illegal miners had been operating within approximately 50 metres of the Ankobrah River, significantly polluting the water body through unsafe mining practices. Extensive portions of arable land within the enclave have also been degraded due to deep excavations created by their activities. In a related development, the taskforce conducted further patrols along the river and sighted about 60 illegal miners actively working on the opposite bank. The suspects fled upon detecting the presence of the security personnel.
The Blue Water Guards secured a canoe to access the riverbank, where additional illegal mining equipment was located and subsequently destroyed to prevent further operations. As NAIMOS intensifies its crackdown on illegal mining, concerns have been raised over what officials describe as weak surveillance and monitoring by some local authorities and security agencies. Strengthened collaboration, they say, would significantly complement ongoing efforts to combat illegal mining activities and protect the country’s water bodies and farmlands.
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