136 Remanded Over Attacks on NAIMOS, EPA
The Tafo and Atasamanso circuit courts in the Ashanti Region have remanded into prison custody 136 persons arrested in last Wednesday’s joint police-military swoop in Ahafo and Ashanti regions.
They were part of the 486 suspects in the two swoops in the Ahafo and Ashanti regions.
The number was screened before the 136 were arraigned before the two courts.
They are to reappear on November 28, 2025.
Community folks, many of them suspected to be engaged in illegal mining, attacked operatives of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region on Saturday, November 1, 2025, in the first of two stand-offs between law enforcers and illegal miners.
In the second case, illegal miners attacked NAIMOS personnel and officials of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during a monitoring exercise in the Ashanti Region on Friday, November 7, 2025.
In the second case, two journalists accompanying officials were injured when the illegal miners ran their vehicle into the retreating vehicle carrying the journalists.
Screening
During the screening exercise, the police said, it was established that several individuals — including those who were forced to alight from vehicles while travelling and those who presented their tickets for verification, as well as juveniles, students, teachers, nurses, and other professionals picked up from their homes — were profiled and released on enquiry bail.
The police said an additional 21 foreign nationals intercepted while travelling had been detained, and would be handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service for further action.
“Due to the full capacity at the Kumasi Central Prisons, 132 of the remanded prisoners will be transferred to the Sunyani Central Prisons. Arrangements are underway to transport them under escort using two Black Maria vehicles,” the police indicated.
Last Wednesday, joint police and military operations in the Ashanti, Ahafo and Volta regions led to the arrest of more than 400 people.
The coordinated special dawn operations were carried out at Dadwene, Obuasi and Anwona in the Ashanti Region, Ehi in the Volta Region and Hwediem, Kenyase, Goaso and Maharni in the Ahafo Region.
All the suspects in custody are male.
The heavily armed security personnel cordoned off the communities and moved in groups to arrest the suspects in their respective houses under the cover of darkness.
A statement issued by the acting Director-General of Public Relations of the Ghana Armed Forces, Capt. Veronica Adzo Arhin, explained that the operation was aimed at arresting identified persons involved in the recent attacks on members of the NAIMOS team, police officers and a team from the EPA, including journalists.
Source: Graphic
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