The Taskforce of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has intensified its crackdown on illegal mining activities in the Ashanti Region, carrying out fresh operations in parts of the Bekwai Municipality.
On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, the team revisited previously targeted sites at Edwinase, where earlier raids had been conducted. According to NAIMOS, the renewed inspection revealed that illegal miners had abandoned the area following sustained enforcement efforts.
Later in the day, the taskforce proceeded to Kokotro, also within the Bekwai Municipality, where it uncovered an illegal mining operation operating within the township. Officials described the discovery as particularly alarming, citing the potential risk to residents, property, and the surrounding environment.
The team dismantled the site, destroying makeshift structures and disabling two industrial pumping machines along with other equipment believed to have been used for the unlawful activity.
Items seized during the operation included a Liugong excavator, two excavator monitors, and an unregistered motorcycle. The equipment has since been transported to Kumasi and secured at the NAIMOS facility for safekeeping.
The operation took a dramatic turn when, according to NAIMOS, three individuals approached the taskforce while it was returning from the exercise.
The men, travelling in a black Ford Tundra F150 with registration number GR 4743–16, allegedly claimed ownership of the raided site and offered GH¢119,825 in an attempt to retrieve the seized items.
The suspects — Emmanuel Kobläh, Samuel Addai, and Kofi Frimpong — were arrested on the spot and handed over to the Bekwai Police for further investigations and possible prosecution.
The cash, along with two excavator monitors and the vehicle, has been conveyed to the Secretariat’s headquarters for preservation as evidence.
NAIMOS has warned individuals engaged in illegal mining, as well as their financiers, against attempting to bribe officers, stating that such actions will result in immediate arrest and prosecution.
The Secretariat also called on local administrative authorities, including security and intelligence agencies, to strengthen monitoring in affected areas to prevent illegal miners from returning to sites already cleared by the taskforce.
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