The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operation Secretariat (NAIMOS) Task Force has ramped up its efforts to clamp down on illegal mining activities in the Bole/Bamboi area of the Savannah Region. 

On July 25, the task force revisited a company where 11 Chinese nationals had been arrested the previous day for engaging in illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey. 

During the follow-up operation, the team seized a range of heavy-duty equipment and other materials believed to be used in the unlawful operations.

The seized items include four Shacman tipper trucks with registration numbers GT 7048-25, GT 7035-25, GT 7265-25, and GT 7243-25; a bulldozer (GT 5321-25); a low-bed trailer (GT 1128-21); a Forland small truck; 10 drums of engine oil; 28 assorted Richlion tyres; and several motorbikes. 

According to NAIMOS, the equipment was transported to the organisation’s headquarters in Accra using hired drivers. 

“This is part of our strategy to dismantle the logistics chain of illegal miners and send a clear message that the state is serious about protecting its natural resources,” said a spokesperson for the task force.

NAIMOS maintains that these operations are crucial in mitigating the environmental degradation and social disruption caused by illegal mining. 

“Galamsey has far-reaching consequences for our water bodies, forests, and rural communities,” the spokesperson added. 

“We are determined to identify and apprehend not just the miners on the ground, but also the financiers and facilitators behind them.”

The ongoing swoops in the Bole/Bamboi area are part of a broader national agenda to restore Ghana’s ecosystems and promote sustainable and legal mining practices. 

The task force’s recent success underscores the need for inter-agency cooperation and continued vigilance. 

As operations intensify, NAIMOS has called on local communities to support the crackdown by reporting suspicious mining activities.