The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has ordered the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations (NAIMOS) Task Force to deal ruthlessly with illegal miners as government steps up the fight against galamsey.

Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah described illegal mining as a national security threat that demands urgent and decisive action, stressing that the task force has the full backing of President John Mahama.

“The fight against illegal mining is not going to stop, and every measure at the Presidency is going to be used. I charge you with a profound sense of duty and patriotism.

"Any recalcitrant who enters these zones is not only a trespasser, but also an enemy of the state. You are to be firm, resolute, and ruthless.

"You will take no obtrusive intrusion from any big man. Remember, the biggest man in Ghana is the President, and he is the one who has sent you,” Mr Buah declared in Sunyani on Sunday, September 28, 2025.

Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, Mustapha Gbande, also urged security personnel to enforce the law without fear or favour, warning against political interference.

“The most powerful person in this country, the President, is fully backing you on this mission. The NDC does not and will not endorse what our President is against. In the bush or in a water body, there is no political colour.

So, if anybody goes in the name of a political colour, arrest the person. If anybody comes in the name of the President, also arrest the person,” he said.

The deployment of NAIMOS is expected to intensify nationwide operations aimed at reclaiming degraded lands and protecting water bodies from the devastating impact of galamsey.