The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), in collaboration with personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces, has seized 17 excavators and destroyed dozens of chanfang machines in a major enforcement operation against illegal mining activities in the Central Region.
The operation, which took place between September 7 and 13, 2026, targeted illegal mining sites at Subin-Akwaboso in the Upper Denkyira West municipality and along sections of the River Offin, one of Ghana’s most heavily polluted water bodies.
Weeks of Reconnaissance
According to the Director of Operations at NAIMOS, Lt. Col. K. S. Appiah, the exercise followed weeks of reconnaissance and intelligence gathering that identified active illegal mining sites within the township, along roadsides, and on the banks and tributaries of the River Offin.
During the operation, the joint task force targeted several identified sites, seizing 15 excavators at Subin-Akwaboso and destroying several chanfang machines and makeshift structures used to support illegal mining activities.
The task force then extended the operation to Dunkwa-On-Offin, the capital of the Upper Denkyira East municipality, where it targeted additional illegal mining sites, destroyed several more chanfang machines and makeshift structures, and seized two additional excavators.
Equipment Moved to Secure Facility
Lt. Col. Appiah stated that all seized equipment has been moved to a secure military holding facility in the Ashanti Region, pending further investigations and administrative action.
He noted that the operation forms part of NAIMOS’ sustained efforts to protect the River Offin and its tributaries, disrupt illegal mining along critical water bodies, and prevent further environmental degradation.
He added that NAIMOS will continue targeted patrols and follow-up operations in the area to prevent the return of illegal miners and to strengthen monitoring and enforcement along the River Offin corridor.
Reclamation and Restoration
Lt. Col. Appiah further emphasized the importance of properly reclaiming and restoring degraded mining sites as part of efforts to protect water resources and surrounding communities.
He disclosed that in the coming days, the enforcement team will engage persons suspected to be involved in illegal mining to ensure proper reclamation of affected sites.
The operation is the latest in a series of enforcement actions under the government’s renewed anti-galamsey push. In August 2026, NAIMOS and the military seized 12 excavators in operations along the Pra River in the Ashanti Region and destroyed more than 50 chanfang machines in the Eastern Region.
The River Offin Crisis
The River Offin, a major tributary of the Pra River, has been at the centre of Ghana’s illegal mining crisis for years. Once a source of drinking water for communities across the Central and Ashanti regions, the river has been severely polluted by years of unregulated mining, with turbidity levels frequently exceeding safe limits by more than 1,000 per cent.
The river flows through some of Ghana’s most mineral-rich areas, including the Obuasi and Dunkwa-On-Offin corridors, where both large-scale licensed mining and small-scale illegal operations have proliferated. The Ghana Water Company Limited has repeatedly shut down treatment plants along the Pra and Offin rivers due to high turbidity, leaving thousands of residents without potable water.
In its 2025 sector report, the Water Resources Commission classified the Offin as one of the most degraded river systems in the country, with heavy metal concentrations—including mercury and arsenic—exceeding World Health Organization guidelines at multiple sampling points.
The Broader Context
NAIMOS was established in 2025 as a specialised enforcement body under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, with a mandate to coordinate intelligence-led operations against illegal mining across the country. It operates alongside the Ghana Armed Forces, the Forestry Commission, and the Ghana Police Service.
The secretariat has faced criticism for the slow pace of prosecutions, with many arrested suspects granted bail and cases adjourned repeatedly. Environmental groups have argued that enforcement without swift prosecution and site reclamation has failed to deter illegal miners.
The operation at Subin-Akwaboso comes amid heightened public pressure on the government to deliver on its anti-galamsey commitments. In July 2026, President John Dramani Mahama ordered the military to “flood” mining communities with personnel and called for the confiscation of equipment belonging to financiers of illegal mining.
According to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, more than 5,000 excavators have been seized since 2017, yet illegal mining continues to expand into new areas, including forest reserves such as Atewa and the Pra Basin.
The seizure of 17 excavators in a single operation represents one of the largest single recoveries of equipment in the Central Region in recent months.
