The bullet-riddled NAIMOS vehicle
Illegal miners, also called ‘galamseyers’, operating in a rubber plantation belonging to the Ghana Rubber Estates Limited (GREL) opened fire on the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) taskforce during an anti-galamsey operation in the area last Tuesday.
The galamseyers, using pump-action guns, opened fire on the security personnel in the operation which took place at Adiewoso in the Western Region.
The assailants discharged multiple rounds from the pump action weapons at one of the taskforce’s Zonda pickup vehicles.
The vehicle sustained damage, but the security personnel executed a tactical withdrawal without casualties and immediately triggered intelligence-led recovery efforts.
In a follow-up dawn operation on Thursday, April 30, 2026, NAIMOS and the Agona Ahanta Police in the Ahanta West Municipality of the region conducted a coordinated search at Adiewoso and surrounding areas.
The operation resulted in the arrest of 114 individuals who were later conveyed to the Adiewoso Community Centre for screening and identification.
After the thorough screening, 49 of them were identified as suspected illegal miners operating within the GREL plantation.
Eight of the suspects were confirmed as casual workers of GREL residing in the community, while 12 were found to be senior high school students.
The suspects
Three (3) of them were proven to be foreign nationals. Their names were given as Abdul Karim of Niger; Nash Ishaku and Eliyasu Sie, both of Burkina Faso.
The remainder comprised artisans and other local residents with no direct involvement in illegal mining activities.
The NAIMOS operatives retrieved a pump-action firearm, suspected narcotics, and over GH¢226,000 in cash recovered from a Toyota Raize vehicle belonging to two of the suspects.
Two small containers of some substances wrapped in paper and suspected to be gold, recovered from a white Toyota Hilux vehicle, were also retrieved for investigations.
The owner of the vehicle, one Ebenezer Cobbinah, was arrested at the scene and is currently assisting with ongoing investigations.
Quantities of substances suspected to be Indian hemp, together with cartons of cigarettes believed to be linked to the illegal mining operations, were also seized.
In collaboration with GREL management, the 12 suspects identified as senior high school students were released.
The rest of the suspects were subsequently transferred to the Agona Divisional Police Command in Ahanta West for further investigation.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi