Four people have died, and 15 others sustained injuries following a clash involving residents of Manso Keniago in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region and personnel of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), the area’s Assembly Member, Charles Oduro, has said.
The updated casualty figures follow an earlier report that two NAIMOS officers sustained gunshot wounds during a confrontation with an armed group while the task force was transporting excavators seized during an anti-illegal mining operation to a designated location for safekeeping.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, Mr Oduro said the confrontation erupted after a disagreement over the transportation of the seized excavators through the community.
He said some residents and traditional authorities had wanted the equipment transported on low-bed trailers rather than driven along the road.
According to him, the disagreement escalated into gunfire, leaving four people dead and 15 others injured.
He said the victims were from Manso Keniago and surrounding communities, including Ketanpo.
“Some are from there, and others from Keniago, and others from different communities,” he said.
Mr Oduro spoke while visiting injured persons receiving treatment at St Martin’s Hospital. He described the situation as distressing and disclosed that a police officer was also hit during attempts to calm the situation.
“Even the police came to intervene, to let the NAIMOS people calm down, so that they take the right turn to convey the excavator. But even one police officer was hit by one of the NAIMOS,” he said.
He added that a police inspector was present and had attempted to de-escalate the confrontation.
Asked whether any NAIMOS personnel had also been injured, Mr Oduro said he had not personally seen any such cases.
NAIMOS had earlier said two of its personnel sustained gunshot wounds during the incident. The Secretariat said its task force encountered an armed group attempting to obstruct the movement of the seized excavators and that officers fired warning shots to prevent further escalation.
The Assembly Member’s account puts the reported civilian death toll at four, with 15 others injured. However, the casualty figures have not been independently confirmed.
Credit: Citinewsroom.com
