A reconnaissance mission by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) in the Ahafo Region on Saturday turned chaotic when a mob allegedly led by the Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, clashed with officers after the arrest of suspected illegal miners.
This was revealed by investigative journalist Erastus Asare Donkor in a Facebook post on Sunday, November 2, 2025.
According to Erastus, the Director of Operations at NAIMOS, he and a team of ten soldiers were on a mission along the Goaso–Hwidiem highway to identify a suitable site for a permanent task force deployment when they discovered an excavator actively engaged in mining near Bronikrom.
The team arrested several individuals at the site and ordered them to refill the mining pits to prevent further environmental damage. A search of the area led to the arrest of additional suspects, including a man who claimed to be a Defence Intelligence representative and two others who arrived separately in a Toyota RAV4 and a Range Rover.
A search of the suspects’ vehicles uncovered a Smith & Wesson pistol, two pistol magazines, 21 rounds of ammunition, twelve mobile phones, ₵11,000 in cash, and other items.
While the suspects were being prepared for transfer to the Hwidiem Police Station, the Asutifi North MP reportedly arrived at the scene with several men and demanded their immediate release, claiming he had been sent by Hon. Collins Dauda, MP for the area.
When the NAIMOS Director refused the request, insisting that due process must be followed, the situation escalated. The MP and his men allegedly became violent, forcibly removed the handcuffs from the arrested suspects, and chased the NAIMOS team as they made their way to the police station.
At Hwidiem Police Station, tensions flared further as an estimated 600 people, allegedly mobilised by the MP, besieged the premises demanding the release of the suspects and seized vehicles. The crowd vandalised the director’s Toyota Hilux and threatened to burn down the police station, despite pleas from officers and local leaders.
Reinforcements led by Chief Superintendent Prince Odom-Koduah, the Ahafo Regional Crime Officer, were deployed to stabilise the situation. They were joined by other senior officers, including Superintendent John Atanga, Divisional Commander for Goaso, and Superintendent Opoku Yamoah, District Commander for Kenyase.
The Zongo Chief of Hwidiem, Alhaji Mohammed Bashiru Zarikyi, intervened to calm the agitated crowd. As darkness fell and electricity went out, the joint security team decided to release the keys to the seized vehicles to defuse tensions. The Zongo Chief offered his own vehicle to evacuate Colonel Buah, the Director of Operations, and his officers to safety at the Newmont site in Kenyase.
During the evacuation, the chief’s car came under attack, with its rear windscreen smashed, though no injuries were reported.
In a statement following the incident, the NAIMOS Director described the MP’s actions as a serious obstruction of justice, stressing that the fight against illegal mining “requires all citizens, especially influential figures, to act on the side of the law.”
He warned that the Secretariat remains committed to its mandate to combat illegal mining and restore Ghana’s rivers and forests, urging miners and their sponsors to desist from further unlawful acts.
NAIMOS said its officers, though shaken by the violent encounter, were safely escorted from the area thanks to coordinated efforts by the police and local authorities.
