The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) says it will intensify efforts to target the equipment suppliers and facilitators who support illegal mining, as it seeks to sustain cleared areas and strengthen the prosecution of offenders.
The Director of Operations at NAIMOS, Colonel K. S. Appiah, said the operation would focus not only on illegal miners in the field but also on the networks and resources that enable their activities.
Addressing the media with an update on the fight against illegal mining, he said intelligence gathering, field enforcement and investigations would be coordinated to ensure that evidence gathered during operations leads to effective legal action.
“Our operational focus will continue to target the equipment, suppliers, and facilitators who sustain illegal mining operations,” he said.
Colonel Appiah said the need for close cooperation between operational teams, investigators and prosecutors, saying that enforcement efforts must be backed by effective investigations and legal proceedings.
“Intelligence, field enforcement, and investigations must support one another. And we are going to cooperate with investigators and prosecutors to translate evidence into effective legal action,” he said.
He added that professionalism, accountability and public trust would remain central to the work of NAIMOS as it continues its operations against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Colonel Appiah said personnel deployed to tackle illegal mining had been directed to operate within their lawful authority, preserve evidence and treat suspects in accordance with the law.
He said that discipline and integrity among officers were essential to the credibility and success of the operation.
“On my part, I will say that professionalism and public trust are essential to our operational success,” he said.
“I remain committed to accountability, integrity, and disciplined conduct,” he added.
According to him, task forces operating in the field would be expected to uphold these standards while carrying out their duties.
“Our personnel, the task forces in the field, will act within their authority, preserve evidence, and treat suspects lawfully,” he said.
However, the operations director said that officers would defend themselves when confronted with hostile acts or clear hostile intent.
“We’ll continue to reserve our right to self-defence against hostile acts and hostile intent,” he added.
Colonel Appiah said the success of NAIMOS operations should not be judged solely by the number of raids conducted or illegal mining sites cleared.
Instead, he said, the focus should be on whether cleared areas remained free from renewed illegal mining, whether such activities declined and whether cases progressed through the justice system.
He also identified measurable environmental recovery as an important indicator of progress.
“We must judge our progress by whether cleared areas remain secure, illegal activity declines, cases advance through the justice system, and environmental recovery becomes measurable,” he said.
He added that NAIMOS would work closely with relevant environmental and water institutions to assess the impact of its operations and determine whether interventions were producing lasting results.
Colonel Appiah identified community engagement as a key part of NAIMOS operations, saying residents and local authorities could help prevent illegal miners from returning to areas where enforcement teams had intervened.
He said traditional authorities, district assemblies, landowners and residents all had important roles to play in supporting lawful activities and providing credible information about renewed encroachment.
“One key aspect of our operations is community engagement. It is integral to our operations currently,” he said.
According to him, NAIMOS has received a significant number of reports from members of the public over the past two months, including information about locations where illegal mining activities were suspected.
He said some whistleblowers had provided GPS coordinates and contact details, enabling operational teams to identify locations and respond to potential threats.
“And in the past two months, we’ve received a lot of whistleblowing from various quarters where people call, send GPS locations, provide points of contact, and we have sent teams to prevent illegal mining in certain areas,” he said.
The reports, he explained, had helped the secretariat deploy teams to intervene in some locations and prevent illegal mining activities.
Colonel Appiah urged the public to continue sharing credible information with NAIMOS to support its enforcement efforts.
“And we call on the public to let us know. We will conduct our reconnaissance and deal with the situations as they come,” he said.