Oseikokrom: The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) task force executed a successful operation leading to the arrest of a Chinese national and seven Ghanaian workers involved in illegal mining at a site in Oseikokrom, located in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region. This operation is part of a broader nationwide effort to curb illegal mining activities.
According to Ghana Web, in a press statement on May 22, 2026, "Upon sensing the approach of the task force, the suspects attempted to flee the site but were intercepted and arrested." The operation also resulted in the seizure of vehicles and equipment used in the illegal activities. Two Toyota Hilux pickups, with registration numbers GX 555-24 and CN 5168-26, were confiscated at the site, along with two excavators actively engaged in mining activities.
The task force managed to seize one of the excavators and transport it to the NAIMOS logistics holding area in Kumasi, while the other was disabled by removing its monitor and control board. The vehicles were also secured at the logistics holding area for safekeeping. Additionally, a pump-action gun was confiscated, and several makeshift structures serving as hideouts for the miners were destroyed.
The individuals apprehended include Huang WEIYE, a 38-year-old Chinese national, and seven Ghanaians identified as Augustine MANU, Kwame NTOADRO, Moses ALOU, Alex LENLEY, Yaw OWUSU, Shaibu WUNI, and Patrick BAMPOA. The Chinese national has been handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service for further investigation, while the Ghanaian suspects are assisting with investigations at the Antoakrom Police Station.
Colonel Dominic Buah, Director of Operations for NAIMOS, emphasized the commitment of the Secretariat's task forces to intensify operations in all illegal mining hotspots across the country. He highlighted that these efforts are effectively disrupting entrenched illegal mining networks, which pose a threat to cocoa farms, forest reserves, road networks, and water bodies nationwide.