NAIMOS arrests Chinese galamseyer, hands suspect over to immigration service

A Chinese national has been arrested by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) for engaging in illegal mining activities in the Eastern Region.

The suspect has also been handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) as authorities seek to take drastic action.

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According to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, during a press address on Friday, November 7, 2025, the latest arrest follows an earlier apprehension of seven Chinese nationals in Nzema East.

“Colonel Buah, the Director of Operations for NAIMOS has indicated and he has reiterated that the efforts to combat illegal mining is going to continue regardless of this incident. And we've seen that two days ago, seven Chinese were arrested in the Nzema East area. This morning, another Chinese has been arrested in the Eastern Region and has been sent to the Ghana Immigration Service for further action,” the ministry indicated.

Also addressing the issue of an attack on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff and journalists by illegal miners, the ministry expressed its disappointment, describing the incident as “unfortunate.”

The incident occurred in the Ashanti Region when the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) team, along with some accompanying journalists, was attacked by illegal miners (galamseyers) during a special operation to clamp down on illegal mining activities at Dadwene, a community near Obuasi.

Narrating the event, the Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Prof Nana Ama Klutse, said that their vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a truck as they attempted to flee from the galamsey site after military personnel accompanying them were overwhelmed by well-armed illegal mining operators.

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“We saw some heavily built men, many of them approaching with guns. We had military personnel and national security officers with us, but we realised we couldn’t exchange fire, so we had to run for our lives.

“In the course of fleeing, while speeding on the road, one of our vehicles, which had some EPA staff and journalists on board, collided head-on with a truck that was carrying pipes believed to be used for the galamsey operations,” Prof Klutse recounted.

MAG/AE

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