The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has intensified its offensive against illegal mining in the Eastern Region, mounting a robust operation on Sunday, December 7, 2025, that dealt a significant blow to galamsey operators along the Akyem Oda corridor.
The full-day mission reaffirmed government’s growing determination to reclaim forests, farmlands, and rivers that continue to suffer heavy damage from unchecked mining activities.
Between 07:00 and 20:00, NAIMOS teams swept through well-known galamsey hideouts within the Atiwa West District and Birim Central Municipality, targeting groups that have repeatedly ignored national directives.
At Akyem Akropong in Atiwa West, operatives discovered a major roadside illegal mining hub equipped with four excavators and five gold-washing machines. Two of the excavators were fully intact and were quickly disabled by removing their control units and monitors. The other two machines had already been stripped by operators attempting to evade detection.
Later in the afternoon, around 16:10, the task force descended on an active site at Akyem Oda. There, another excavator positioned directly beside the main road was immobilised.
The devastation left behind by the miners was extensive—vast water-filled pits covering more than four acres, some nearly 200 metres across and reaching eight feet deep. The terrain had been ripped apart, creating dangerous open cavities threatening nearby rivers and agricultural lands. In total, three excavators were rendered unusable, though they were left on-site due to the lack of low-bed trucks for transport.
Intelligence gathered during the operation points to a troubling trend: galamsey activities along the Birim and Ayensu river belts remain a major threat. Operators frequently retreat when they detect approaching enforcement teams, only to return once they believe the area is safe.
This tactic has strengthened NAIMOS’s resolve to maintain continuous deployments rather than periodic raids.
Despite the challenges, the task force’s presence is unsettling illegal mining networks across the region. Increased patrols, rapid intervention capabilities, and unpredictable movement patterns have forced many operators to abandon their equipment mid-operation, disrupting their supply chains and weakening the groups behind the illegal trade.
NAIMOS warns that the fight is far from finished. With crucial water bodies like the Birim and Ayensu still under serious threat, the task force says a sustained field presence is essential.
Illegal mining, it stresses, is not only degrading the environment but also endangering public health by polluting drinking water, poisoning food sources, and exposing communities to harmful chemicals.
As enforcement intensifies, the message from NAIMOS is clear: the state is tightening its grip—and illegal miners are rapidly losing ground.