The claim suggesting that Ghana would need $10 billion to combat illegal mining has been out rightly debunked.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Paa Kwesi Schandorf clarified that the sector minister never mentioned such an amount anywhere on record.

According to Schandorf, the report misrepresents the minister’s comments.

“The minister did not categorically indicate that we needed $10 billion to fight illegal mining. What he said was that if we were to quantify the financial implications of dealing decisively with the environmental crisis, even the country’s entire budget may not suffice,” Mr Schandorf stated in an interview with Asaase Radio.

He added that the minister has engaged TV3 to correct the error, as it was during an interview on the station's Hot Issues that people misinterpreted him.

According to him, the Minister has engaged TV3 to clarify the misunderstanding, which stemmed from his earlier interview on the station’s Hot Issues programme.

Among measures taken to protect water bodies from illegal miners is the deployment of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS).

The Secretariat includes the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Immigration Service, the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), the Narcotics Control Commission, and the National Security Secretariat.

Addressing the security forces, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Amarh Kofi-Buah, directed the team to ruthlessly counter the activities of galamsey operators as they are the enemies of the state.

“Any recalcitrant entering into these zones is not merely a trespasser. They are an enemy of the state. You are to be firm. You are to be resolute. You are to be ruthless.

"And please, take it from me, you will take no obstructionist instruction from any big man. Remember, the biggest man in Ghana is the President of the Republic, and he’s the one who has sent you,” Mr. Kofi-Buah charged.

NAIMOS has destroyed a well-known illegal mining base at Aboso in the Western Region, referred to as 'Gunway.'

'Gunway' is a neighbourhood known for harboring hardened illegal miners. It was raided through an intense intelligence effort on Monday, October 5, 2025.

The operation resulted in the demolition of several makeshift structures that served as drug dens and hideouts within the crime-infested enclave at Aboso in the Prestea-Huni Valley District.

Beyond the demolition, the taskforce confiscated multiple pieces of mining equipment used for illicit operations that have been destroying the environment.

During the raid, some residents engaged in illegal mining, gambling, drug use, and narcotics trading surrendered to the NAIMOS officers on site.

Authorities also recovered quantities of hard drugs from the suspects, including seven parcels of Indian hemp.

A similar operation was conducted by NAIMOS in June this year, during which criminal groups were warned to vacate the 'Galamsey' area.

However, despite persistent appeals from traditional leaders and locals, the offenders continued their illegal activities.

Last week, the Commanding Officer in charge of Ghana's National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), Colonel Dominic Buah, signaled an imminent and aggressive crackdown on illegal miners in the country.

According to him, they are the most wanted offenders in the country. Thus, his outfit would support the exposure of individuals destroying the country's water bodies.

"I would like to send this warning to illegal miners, their assignees and financiers that they are the first or prime enemies of the state, and they will be dealt with as such.

"There will be no room for them to escape or to hide. NAIMOS will smoke them out very soon. There's no resting place for them," he said at a stakeholder engagement with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) at the Jubilee House on Friday, October 3, 2025