The Upper West Regional Police Command has arrested seven individuals for engaging in illegal mining activities along the Black Volta River at Chiantanga, a community near Dorimon in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region.
According to a press release issued by the Public Affairs Unit of the Ghana Police Service, the arrests were made on Thursday, April 10, 2025, during a targeted operation to clamp down on illegal mining in the area.
The individuals apprehended include Sabugu Razak, Ibrahim Zuberu, Alex Amedzake, John Cobblah, Promise Dufe, Angelina Akpese, and Rebecca Tumawu. Police also retrieved a significant quantity of equipment from the illegal mining site.
Items seized during the operation included ten (10) Changfang machines, two (2) unregistered PNE and Apsonic tricycles, a motorbike with registration number M-24-NR 6010, another with registration number M-23-UW 4413, two (2) unregistered Haojue and Apsonic motorbikes, and six (6) student mattresses.
The suspects are currently in custody assisting with investigations and will be arraigned before court in the coming days.
The Regional Police Command reiterated its unwavering commitment to tackling illegal mining, which has become a growing environmental and social concern across many parts of Ghana.
“The Ghana Police Service will continue to intensify its operations to protect our water bodies and natural resources from illegal exploitation,” said DCOP Mr. Nii Darko Lomotey, the Upper West Regional Police Commander, in the signed statement.
