Residents of Nsuapemso in the Fanteakwa South District of the Eastern Region were left shaken on Thursday, October 1, 2026, after gunshots reportedly rang out during a security operation at the offices of Nawara Mining Company.
Personnel from the National Security, the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service reportedly entered the company’s premises as part of an operation that resulted in the arrest of the company’s Managing Director, Accountant and other staff.
Two persons were reportedly injured during the incident www.kumasimail.com can confirm.
Those arrested were subsequently taken to the Eastern South Regional Police Command, where they were expected to assist investigators with inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the operation and the broader dispute over the mining concession.
The sound of gunfire reportedly sent residents fleeing for safety, with several people said to have remained indoors while the security operation continued.
The Queenmother of Nsuapemso, Obaapayin Kyerewaa I, expressed concern over what she described as growing insecurity linked to mining activities in the area.
Dispute over mining concession
Thursday’s operation comes amid an increasingly bitter dispute over control of a large-scale gold-mining concession in the Akyem Hemang/Nsuapemso area.
The dispute involves Nawara Mining Company and CMS & A&A PRO Mining Company, which has been linked to the management of the revoked Nawara concession.
Nawara maintains that it has held the concession since 2011 and that its mining lease was renewed in 2020. The company says the renewal should keep the lease valid until 2029.
The company has also argued that a court injunction issued on February 19, 2026, allowed it to continue operating while the underlying legal dispute was being determined.
The circumstances surrounding the enforcement of that position, and the competing claims over the concession, remain contested.
Allegations of earlier raid
The latest incident follows allegations by Nawara that armed personnel and civilians previously entered its mining site, took away equipment and gold-bearing materials, and damaged or destroyed parts of its infrastructure.
The company subsequently petitioned the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to investigate an alleged raid on August 12.
According to Nawara, its petition includes allegations of a death, gunshot injuries, destruction of mining equipment and the seizure of gold and gold concentrate it values at more than GH¢100 million.
Those claims have not been independently established.
The latest arrests and reported gunfire are therefore likely to intensify scrutiny of the long-running dispute, particularly over the legal status of the concession, the authority of competing parties to operate on the site and the conduct of security personnel during enforcement operations.
For residents of Nsuapemso, however, the immediate concern is the return of gunfire to a community already caught in a prolonged struggle over valuable mining resources.
The authorities have yet to publicly provide a comprehensive account of what triggered Thursday’s operation, the circumstances that led to the reported gunfire and injuries, or the specific allegations facing those arrested.
