'Galamseyers are spiritually fortified, making the fight difficult' - Nana Poku Bosompim

Individuals involved in illegal mining are using ‘spiritually fortified’ armed groups who believe they are immune to bullets and machetes, making the fight against galamsey extremely difficult, according to the Western Regional Head of the Forestry Commission, Nana Poku Bosompim.

Speaking on TV3’s Key Points, he confirmed that galamsey operators are well networked and often receive advance information about planned operations by security officials. This allows them to organise themselves and prepare before the team arrives.

According to him, when officials enter the forest reserves where these miners operate, they often encounter men who appear heavily fortified, armed, and backed by groups claiming spiritual protection.

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“Oh yes, exactly. There are times they get information and mobilise, bringing their armed groups and their own security. You see heavily built men; I don’t even know where they come from or whether they are Ghanaians. They look well fortified and have weapons. We’ve seen their masks, pump actions, and some AK-47 rifles with them. These are the guys who come with heavy so-called spiritual fortifications,” he said.

Nana Poku Bosompim added that the sheer number of people these illegal miners mobilise often forces his team to retreat. He explained that a team of 15 to 20 officers can unexpectedly meet between 800 and 1,000 men waiting to confront them.

“In fact, if you see the talisman and other objects on their hands, they look so fierce and not open to any dialogue. Sometimes their sheer numbers alone are enough to make us retreat, because we move in a convoy of about 15 to 20 officers and meet 800 to 1,000 people standing there waiting for us. Sometimes it’s better to retreat, because we believe retreat is another phase of war,” he explained.

He also noted that many of these individuals are believed to be protected against physical harm such as bullets and machete attacks.

“They seem to wear dirty clothes with fugu, charms and talisman all over their bodies. It is believed that when you shoot these people, they may not be harmed. They are said to be fortified against gunshot wounds, machete attacks and the like,” he stated.

He recalled how his team struggled to arrest a particular suspect because of the supposed spiritual protection he had on him.

“There was one incident where one of them was arrested and resisted. About five of my men could not even pull him down until someone told us the talisman he was wearing was in his singlet.

“Can you imagine? A singlet. And when we looked closely at it, we saw some Arabic writings all over it. You wouldn’t notice unless you looked carefully. Someone asked us to cut it. So we cut through the singlet, and that was how the man became weak and was arrested,” he added.

Watch the video below:

Galamseyers are using “spiritually fortified” armed groups who believe they are immune to bullets and machetes, making the fight against illegal mining even more challenging.

- Nana Poku Bosompim (Western Regional Head, Forestry Commission) reveals#TheKeyPoints #TV3GH pic.twitter.com/tLrs8hQOq2

— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) November 22, 2025