NAIMOS Arrests Two Suspected Illegal Miners in Offin River Galamsey Raid
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has arrested a man and a woman for allegedly engaging in illegal mining on the Offin River at Akomfrem in the Atwima Mponua District.
The arrests followed a swift operational raid on Saturday, April 25, 2026, between 1:00 p.m. and 9:50 p.m., after NAIMOS headquarters received intelligence that illegal miners were actively working on and along the river.
Upon reaching the site, the NAIMOS task force found several miners actively working on the Offin River, as intelligence had indicated.
Most of the miners fled upon sighting the approaching team; however, two suspects were apprehended at the site.
The suspects, identified as Comfort Abayie, 36, and Ayenga Abraham, 28, claimed ownership of the galamsey setup but had no legal documents authorising mining.
The task force seized several items during the operation, including a wine-coloured Honda CR-V with registration number DV 9678Y-2025, belonging to Comfort and one iPhone 13 Pro Max.
It also took custody of a wine-coloured JMC pickup with registration number DV 4168-2026, driven by Abraham, one iPhone 16 Pro Max, one iPhone 17 Pro Max and two sachets of suspected unrefined gold dust.
The taskforce also destroyed all illegal mining machinery and equipment at the site, including six chanfang machines mounted directly on the Offin River, one KOOP diesel welding machine, several pipelines, water hoses and makeshift structures.
The two suspects, together with their mobile phones, have been handed over to the Nyinahin District Police Command for further investigation.
All seized exhibits were declared at the police station, but remain in the custody of the NAIMOS team for onward delivery to NAIMOS Headquarters for safe storage.
NAIMOS said it remains resolute in maintaining surveillance and will act swiftly on all alerts, as demonstrated in Atwima Mponua.
The Secretariat further cautioned illegal miners to stay away from the country’s water bodies and forest reserves to avoid enforcement action.
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