Obuasi: Illegal mining activities have resumed near the Obuasi Airport in the Ashanti Region, just days after a joint operation by security agencies led to the seizure of several excavators used at the site. A fresh inspection by the Ashanti Regional National Security Secretariat uncovered ongoing mining operations, with excavators back in use and extensive environmental degradation evident across the area.
According to Ghana Web, the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, Alhaji Abdullah Nje, in an interview with Channel One TV, revealed that the Secretariat, in collaboration with the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), conducted an operation on July 22, 2026, during which nine excavators were seized to halt illegal mining activities around the airport. However, some of the equipment has returned to operation after miners replaced components that had been removed during the exercise.
Alhaji Nje stated, "Last week, National Security and NAIMOS came to conduct an operation here, where we picked up about nine excavators and removed parts from about three of them that were on site. But today, on our way here, we saw three of the machines still working." Subsequent checks confirmed that the machines were among those disabled during the operation.
He further explained that the illegal miners found ways to acquire other parts, fixed the machines, and resumed their activities. In response, security agencies are taking steps to recover the replacement parts and prevent the miners from continuing their operations in the area.
The latest inspection is part of ongoing efforts by the National Security Secretariat and other state agencies to intensify the fight against illegal mining, particularly in locations where such activities threaten critical infrastructure, including the Obuasi Airport, and cause significant environmental damage.