NAIMOS operatives extended their nationwide anti-illegal mining campaign into the Western North region on Saturday, December 6, 2025, delivering one of the most decisive blows yet to illicit mining networks operating near River Bia in the Suaman Dadieso District of the Western North region.
A 31-member task force entered the Kwabena Lantey and Suibo operational zones in the late morning and worked deep into the night. Within hours, officers uncovered a vast illegal mining concession concealed within dense vegetation close to the Bia river.
Evidence at the scene suggested the operators had been tipped off ahead of the raid. Several excavators had been hastily hidden in the bush, with their control boards removed in an attempt to prevent seizure.
The proximity of the operation to the river highlighted severe environmental risks, with clear signs that sediment and toxic discharge had already begun to pollute the water source relied upon by surrounding communities.
The operation intensified in a suburb of Dadieso known as Niger, where intelligence unexpectedly emerged from an abandoned mobile phone left behind by a fleeing suspect. The unlocked device revealed WhatsApp communications linked to a contact saved as “Boss Lii,” pointing to direct coordination by foreign nationals.
Acting on this lead, operatives tracked and arrested nine (9) Chinese, all male, and escorted them to multiple sites for on-ground corroboration of their involvement. At these locations, officers documented degraded sections of the Bia river and dismantled makeshift mining structures that had served as accommodation and processing sheds. Several of the structures were destroyed to prevent re-occupation.
NAIMOS also seized key equipment and materials used to sustain the illegal operations. Items retrieved included two excavator filters, a Tecno smartphone, a water-pumping machine, a mini car-washing machine used for mineral processing, a bottle containing a small quantity of mercury, and a motorbike used for movement between forested sites. All items were secured and removed.
Later in the evening, a four-member team from the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GIISDEC) arrived to take custody of scrap metal and remnants of heavy equipment.
The team, led by senior officer Hannah Arhin, was escorted by NAIMOS operatives to the Suaman Dadieso District Assembly before continuing to Asankragua as part of a wider national scrap recovery programme.
As the operation wrapped up, a NAIMOS escort team transported all nine arrested foreign nationals to NAIMOS Headquarters for formal investigations. The task force also visited the Dadieso Divisional Police Station, where the Deputy Superintendent of Police assured them that residences linked to the suspects would be secured pending further directives from property owners.
In a dramatic final twist, NAIMOS officers disclosed that an anonymous caller attempted to bribe the team with GH¢2,700,000 in exchange for the release of the detained suspects. The offer was immediately rejected, underscoring the discipline, integrity and uncompromising stance guiding the operation.
Despite the long hours and difficult terrain, the task force maintained full operational control throughout the mission.
The Director of Operations provided real-time strategic oversight remotely, ensuring all field teams acted within mandate and national security protocols.
The Western North operation marks another significant victory for NAIMOS
exposing a foreign-coordinated illegal mining network, protecting a critical national water resource, and reinforcing the message that environmental crimes will be met with decisive enforcement.
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