29/08/2026
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), in collaboration with the Northern Command of the Ghana Army and the Ghana Police Service, arrested 10 suspected illegal miners during an anti-illegal mining operation at Kpali, near Gbinyiri, in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region.
The operation, conducted from 25 to 27 August 2026, followed a reconnaissance mission on 19 August which confirmed reports of illegal mining activities in the area.
The joint team encountered persons actively engaged in mining and observed extensive environmental degradation at the site. The operation resulted in the arrest of ten suspects, comprising three Chinese nationals and seven Ghanaians.
The team also seized two excavators, three excavator monitors, a Toyota Hilux, a fuel bowser and other mining equipment. Three fi****ms and twenty-five live cartridges were also recovered.
To prevent the immediate resumption of illegal mining activities, the Task Force also dismantled fifteen makeshift structures and destroyed a generator used on site.
The arrested suspects and relevant exhibits were handed over to the Savannah Regional Police Command in Damongo for further investigation and appropriate legal action. At the same time, the heavy equipment was secured at designated holding sites.
The operation forms part of ongoing efforts by NAIMOS and its security partners to combat illegal mining and protect water bodies and the environment from further degradation.
NAIMOS will continue to collaborate with the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Police Service and other relevant institutions to disrupt illegal mining activities and protect vulnerable areas within the Savannah Region.
By NAIMOS