The National Inter-Agency Taskforce on Illegal Mining (NAIMOS) says it will deploy around-the-clock patrols, drones, and new reporting lines to crush illegal mining after zoning the country into operational sectors and sending hundreds of troops to sensitive areas.

Speaking at a meeting between President John Dramani Mahama and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), NAIMOS Head of Operations, Colonel Dominic Buah, outlined a tougher new posture against galamsey, promising continuous presence at hotspots, tighter surveillance, and harsher treatment for offenders.

“What should Ghanaians expect? There is a lot more. The NAIMOS is going to deploy fully, firmly as the minister has been highlighting across the length and breadth of the country,” Colonel Buah said, explaining that the force has zoned the country into seven illegal mining regions, further divided into 21 sectors.

“We are going to deploy troops enough at every centre — they will be there 24/7. The illegal miners think they can operate in the night, no. We will picket every location and make sure that life is made unbearable for them going forward, and we will be ruthless with them because they are environmental terrorists and must be treated as such,” he warned.

Colonel Buah said NAIMOS will target every vulnerable point in those zones: “every water body within those zones, every forest reserve, the roads and railways which are being dug and then foreigners who have come to destroy our environment.” He added that legal miners who comply will still have access to designated, sustainable areas.

To boost citizen participation, NAIMOS will soon launch a 24-hour toll-free line for public reporting. “These lines have been procured; we are just renovating the secretariat, and all citizens will have the right to call in. If you see any illegal mining going on somewhere, say something, do something,” he said.

Technology will also play a central role in the campaign. “On the technology, there are a lot of drones. We are collaborating with the National Signal Bureau to get the drones and the right technology so that once we deal with the place, we are able to see or follow through with the surveillance of the place and don’t get the return of these illegal miners,” he explained.

Colonel Buah issued a stark warning to financiers and organisers of galamsey operations: “With your permission, I would like to send this warning to illegal miners, their assigns, and financiers that they are the first or prime enemies of the state and they will be dealt with as such. There will be no room for them to escape or to hide. NAIMOS will smoke them out very soon; there is no resting place for them.”

On personnel, the operations chief revealed that the task force has trained and begun deploying an initial batch of more than 400 troops to sensitive locations, with reinforcements to follow.

“We have already trained over 400 troops who are the first batch deployed or under deployment to sensitive areas. We will continue to deploy more so that we will all go to bed knowing that NAIMOS is firmly on the ground and illegal mining will be a thing of the past,” Colonel Buah said.