NAIMOS taskforce raids galamsey sites in Ahanta West
On Thursday, January 29, 2026, the NAIMOS taskforce, currently deployed in the Western Region, launched a major operation against illegal mining activities in the Ahanta West Municipality.
The operation began around 7:30 a.m. when the taskforce stormed an illegal mining site at Agonakrom, within the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly. Miners at the site were found operating directly in a stream that feeds into the Hwin River. During the raid, the taskforce destroyed several water pumps and pipelines positioned in and along the stream.
At approximately 9:25 a.m., the taskforce moved to another illegal mining site known locally as “Agenda 111” in Mpohor and surrounding communities. The site is situated about 200 metres from land earmarked for the construction of a hospital under the government’s Agenda 111 project.
Investigations revealed that the miners had diverted sections of the Butre River within a palm plantation and were actively mining in the water, causing significant damage. The miners fled upon noticing the arrival of the taskforce vehicles.
Two Sany excavators discovered at the site were transported to the Mpohor District Office. The machines were immobilised by removing their monitors and control boards. In addition, three water pumping machines were seized.
The taskforce also uncovered explosives at the site, which were safely disposed of by an explosives expert attached to the operation.
Several makeshift structures, old water pumps, and hoses were destroyed, along with multiple changfan machines that had been used for mining in the river.
Further operations led the taskforce to the residences of some of the illegal miners, where the following items were seized:
- Seven pump-action guns
- Twelve BB cartridges
- One 32-inch television
- Three radios
- One control board
- One unregistered grey Toyota Hilux
- Three water pumping machines
Following these seizures, the taskforce carried out extensive patrols along the Butre River corridor, destroying additional makeshift structures and pumping machines belonging to local illegal miners within the Mpohor District.
Operations later continued in the Mpohor Fiase general area, with renewed focus on the Butre River, where more temporary structures and changfan machines were destroyed.
Observations from the day’s exercise indicated that many illegal mining sites had been abandoned, largely due to the sustained presence of the NAIMOS taskforce in the region.
NAIMOS has therefore indicated its intention to intensify and extend operations across the Ahanta West Municipality and neighbouring assemblies to ensure that all water bodies are protected from illegal mining activities.
Source: JoyNews
