…Secretariat Condemns Act
By Philip Antoh
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has strongly condemned an assault on its officers by an armed mob during an anti-illegal mining operation at Manso Keniago in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region.
In a statement signed by the Secretariat’s spokesperson, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, NAIMOS described the attack as aggression directed at officers lawfully carrying out their mandate, and warned that any form of violence, threats or obstruction of its work will not be countenanced.
The confrontation took place on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, when a NAIMOS task force was conveying excavators seized during an enforcement exercise to a designated location for safekeeping.
During the journey, the team ran into an armed crowd that attempted to forcibly block the movement of the confiscated equipment.
According to the Secretariat, its personnel fired warning shots in a bid to disperse the mob and prevent the situation from spiralling further. Two officers, however, sustained gunshot wounds in the process.
NAIMOS used the statement to caution individuals and groups against impeding its personnel in the lawful discharge of their duties, stressing that such actions only embolden the destruction of the country’s natural resources.
The Secretariat, nonetheless, reaffirmed its determination to rid the country of illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey, and pledged to sustain enforcement operations nationwide despite acts of intimidation and resistance.
The Conflict in 2025/206
In Subin Akwaaboso in the Central Region, armed miners regularly ambush NAIMOS teams and block transit routes at gunpoint, aggressively demanding the immediate release of their arrested colleagues
The tension is heightened by political dynamics, with instances where local leaders or Members of Parliament have been investigated for allegedly mobilizing youth groups to obstruct NAIMOS raids.
In another instance, an angry mob of you attacked NAIMOS and military officers following a raid. In this attack, the Director of NAIMOS was targeted, promoting massive police -military joint sweep that results in over 300 arrest.