The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has arrested two individuals engaged in illegal mining along the Ankobra River after they allegedly attempted to bribe a taskforce with GH¢30,000 to halt an enforcement operation.
The suspects were apprehended at about 12:50 p.m. on Thursday during a routine riverine patrol at Gwira Banso in the Nzema East District. According to NAIMOS, the individuals were caught actively mining in a manner that caused significant pollution of the Ankobra River.
Preliminary interrogation revealed that one of the suspects owned the illegal mining site and had deployed several workers to operate at a nearby location, approximately 80 meters from the river. A subsequent inspection by the taskforce uncovered an access route constructed by the miners, linking their operations directly to the river and enabling the discharge of pollutants into the water body.
During the operation, taskforce personnel began destroying “changfan” machines mounted on improvised boats used for the illegal activity. It was at this point that the suspects reportedly approached officers and offered GH¢30,000 in an attempt to obstruct the exercise.
The taskforce rejected the bribe, seized the cash as evidence, and confiscated an outboard motor mounted on one of the boats. The suspects have since been handed over to the Nkroful Police Station for further investigations and possible prosecution.
In a related development, NAIMOS intensified its crackdown with a follow-up night operation on the same day, targeting illegal mining activities along the Ankobra River.
The night patrol, which began around 5:00 p.m., was part of a revised strategy in response to intelligence indicating that illegal miners had shifted their operations to nighttime hours to evade detection. Using newly deployed military speedboats, the team conducted surveillance in areas previously inspected during the day.
During the patrol, several changfan machines mounted on makeshift boats were identified actively operating. The taskforce swiftly moved in and destroyed the equipment on-site to prevent further environmental damage.
NAIMOS said the twin operations underscore its commitment to combating illegal mining and protecting water bodies, emphasizing a zero-tolerance stance on both environmental violations and corruption.
The agency added that sustained day and night patrols will continue to safeguard the Ankobra River and surrounding ecosystems.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
