The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has directed the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters in Accra to take over the investigation into last Saturday’s violent attack on the Director of Operations of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and his team at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region.
In a statement issued on Monday, 3rd November 2025, the Ghana Police Service said the Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, who allegedly incited a mob and obstructed the work of the task force, has been invited to assist the ongoing investigation.
“Preliminary investigation has established that on Saturday, 1st November 2025, the NAIMOS Director and his team intercepted illegal miners operating near Bronikrom in the Ahafo Region and arrested some suspects,” the statement said.
Items retrieved from the suspects included a Smith & Wesson pistol, two pistol magazines, 21 rounds of 9mm ammunition, an unregistered Range Rover, an unregistered Toyota RAV4, and several mobile phones.
According to the police, while the suspects were being prepared for transfer to the Hwidiem Police Station, the Asutifi North MP allegedly arrived with a group of men and demanded their release. “When his demand was refused, the group forcibly removed the suspects’ handcuffs and chased the NAIMOS team from the scene,” the statement added.
The incident reportedly escalated when a mob of about 600 people, allegedly incited by the MP, besieged the Hwidiem Police Station demanding the release of the arrested miners and seized vehicles. The crowd vandalised the NAIMOS Director’s vehicle, damaged parts of the police station, and threatened to set it ablaze.
“Reinforcement teams from the Ahafo Regional Command were deployed to restore order and prevent further destruction,” the police said.
Calm was eventually restored following the intervention of the police, the military, and the Zongo Chief of Hwidiem, Alhaji Mohammed Bashiru Zarikyi, who helped mediate the standoff and ensured the safe evacuation of the NAIMOS officers. The statement confirmed that while the Chief’s vehicle was damaged during the process, no injuries were reported.
The police assured the public that the matter is being thoroughly investigated, adding that anyone found culpable in the attack would face the full rigours of the law.
The development follows earlier reports that the NAIMOS team, led by its Director of Operations, was conducting a reconnaissance mission in Ahafo when it intercepted the illegal mining operation near Bronikrom — an encounter that later escalated into a violent confrontation involving two MPs.
