The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has raided illegal mining sites along the Subin River at Ahwiren in the Bekwai Municipality of the Ashanti Region, seizing excavator components, firearms and other equipment used in the operation.
During the operation, the team disabled five excavators by removing five monitors and four control boards, with one excavator found without either component. Officers also burnt four pumping engines used in the mining activities.
In addition, the task force seized two excavator keys and two Adler pump-action guns with 19 cartridges.
According to NAIMOS, the illegal mining activities were taking place at the headwaters of the Subin River, where miners had blocked and diverted the natural flow of the river. The site is located about 50 metres from the Ahwiren-Bekwai main road.
Preliminary investigations revealed that although the operators had applied for approval through the Responsible Cooperative Mining Scheme for Community Development (rCOMSDEP), they had not received authorisation to commence operations.
The Secretariat further found that the coordinates of the area being mined differed from those stated in the operators’ application, raising concerns over unauthorised mining activities.
NAIMOS also observed that the operators had established offices within the community and claimed they were not engaged in illegal mining.
The operation forms part of ongoing efforts by the government to clamp down on illegal mining and protect Ghana’s rivers and other environmentally sensitive areas.
