Two journalists have sustained severe injuries following an alleged violent attack by a group of miners at Dadwene, a community near Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.

The victims were among a team of journalists who had accompanied the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on an anti-illegal mining operation at Dadwene.

The operation resulted in the closure of many shops at Anhwia Nkwanta. Speaking to the media, the EPA's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Professor Nana Ama Klutse, noted that as a result of the violent incident, the EPA officers and journalists were forced to retreat for safety, heading toward their vehicles.

However, one of the vehicles was involved in a collision after the team made their way through Afari. Giving further details, the EPA's CEO disclosed that they were unable to retreat despite being accompanied by a military escort. She explained that the army officers could not retaliate due to the intensity of the situation.

According to her, the military escort advised them to flee the scene because their opponents were heavily armed illegal miners.

She added, “So we closed down many shops at Anhwia Nkwanta, and today (Thursday, November 6) we were on another route to close down some other shops. On our way near Obuasi, we saw galamsey happening on the ground, so we decided to have a look at what they were doing. When we stopped and walked into the area, as we were getting closer, they were running away, and all of them had left by the time we got there.

“So we looked around for what we could pick, and we did pick. While leaving, we saw that there were actually more of the excavators—three—that were inside a river body; they had mined in the river and blocked it in such a way that it had taken different tributaries around the area and flooded some places. It was messy. It was really a bad situation. So we had actually gone to the car and used another route to the place, and while we were there, the people also ran. We called them to come, and just before we could have a conversation, they sent news around, and soon we saw built men; a number of them came with guns.

“We had the military with us, and the national security was also with us, but then we saw that we couldn’t exchange fire or fight them, so we had to run for our lives. In the course of running and speeding on the road, we encountered this accident.

“One of the cars, which had some EPA staff and some of the journalists, had a head-on collision with a truck that was actually carrying some pipes for galamsey operations. Some of the heavily built men were dressed in black with ‘CID’ written at the back. The soldiers and the national security men asked them for their ID cards, but it became confrontational, and so we had to leave because they said they could not overpower them, so we had to leave.

“While they were having the confrontation, we got intel from Accra that we should leave immediately—where we were—and that even the route we planned to take, we should not use it again, and we should not return on the same route we came from Kumasi to Obuasi. So we had to use another route altogether, much longer, through the Western Region and the Central Region to Kumasi. But just before we reached Kumasi, that’s when we had the head-on collision.”

The Ashanti Regional Correspondent for Media General, Ibrahim Abubakar, reportedly escaped the incident. Adom News reporter and Channel One TV’s Ashanti Regional Correspondent, Doris Lonta, were also part of the team.

On Saturday, November 1, the Director of Operations at NAIMOS and his team narrowly escaped death in a mob assault at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region. The officials came under violent attack while carrying out their day-to-day activities as part of efforts to crack down on illegal mining in the region.

Exhibits retrieved from the scene included a side-hand bag containing one (1) Smith & Wesson pistol, two (2) pistol magazines, twenty-one (21) rounds of 9mm ammunition, an unregistered Range Rover vehicle, an unregistered Toyota RAV4 vehicle, and several mobile phones. The operation also resulted in the arrest of several miners, including a Burkinabe national.

However, locals were seen in a video that has since gone viral, confronting the anti-mining task force and calling for the release of those arrested during the operation. Speaking to the media, NAIMOS spokesperson Paa Kwesi Schandorf described the attack as “extremely and profoundly disappointing,” adding, “It was a huge surprise that the locals became agitated, demanding the release of those arrested, and then began attacking the NAIMOS team.”

On Monday, November 3, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, ordered an investigation into the incident.“The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has directed the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters to take over investigations into the attack on the Director of Operations of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and his team by thugs at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region. The Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Hon. Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, who is alleged to have incited the mob and obstructed the NAIMOS team, has been invited to assist in the ongoing investigation into the incident,” part of the statement read.

The John Dramani Mahama-led government established the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat in July as part of efforts to curb illegal mining activities in the country.

Speaking during an update on Wednesday, July 23, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, disclosed that the newly established Secretariat would act as the brain of Ghana’s anti-illegal mining operations.

“To coordinate the efforts of the military, police, and other security agencies, the ministry has established the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) as the operational nerve-centre for Ghana’s fight against illegal small-scale mining,” he stated.

The Secretariat’s responsibility is to collaborate with other key institutions such as the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Finance (GRA–Customs Division), and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority as part of its mandate.

This collaboration is expected to ensure that excavators and other earth-moving equipment entering the country are not diverted for illegal mining activities.

“In collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance (GRA–Customs Division), and the Ports and Harbours Authority, we have initiated a proactive tracking of all imports of excavators and earth-moving equipment from the point of entry,” he added.

Illegal mining activities continue to pose a major challenge to the country. Several Chinese nationals have been involved in such illegal operations, leading to multiple arrests.

Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that scientific tests are being carried out on new chemicals that could help restore polluted water bodies and rivers affected by illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

Speaking at a high-level stakeholder engagement on galamsey in Accra on Friday, October 3, with members of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), President Mahama said, "There are new chemicals that have come that allow you to treat water and take out the toxins and the heavy metals. One of them is called dowtine. The people came, and we sent them there. They took samples, tested. We are waiting for them to bring the results back."

He has asked Ghanaians to exercise patience in the ongoing battle against illegal mining (galamsey). During a meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), President Mahama said declaring a state of emergency would not end the menace.

According to him, government advisors believe the country can overcome galamsey by adopting best practices in small-scale mining, including technologies that help neutralize or remove harmful chemicals from water bodies.

Additionally, the President pledged to honour the calls of many Ghanaians by declaring a state of emergency when his advisors give him the nod to do so.

President Mahama believes that the country can eradicate the long-term canker if it deploys more troops and invests additional resources in the fight. He concluded that the battle seems to be a long one, but his administration is committed to ending it.

“While we are fighting the menace, I am also saying we should uptake technology in order to protect the environment. So yes, let’s fight the illegal mining but at the same time, let’s bring the new technology that will help us protect our environment.

“Now with the elephant in the room, state of emergency, yes, I have the power to do it, but the president acts on the advice of the National Security Authority, and as at now, this moment, the National Security Authority believes that we can win the fight against galamsey without declaring a state of emergency. I want to assure you that the day they advise me otherwise, that boss, now we need a state of emergency, I won’t hesitate,” he added.