Police officers whose promotions had been delayed for up to 10 years have finally been elevated following an extensive review by Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno.

Their promotions ranking from Lance Corporal to Chief Inspector were approved between January and the first week of February this year. This information was disclosed by the  IGP’s secretariat on Thursday, February 12.

According to the secretariat the promotions were carried out in line with the Police Service Regulations, 2012 (C.I 76). The Secretariat strongly refuted the claims alleging nepotism in the recent promotions.

“All unit, district, divisional, and regional commanders across the country’s 25 police regions were directed to submit the names of officers due for promotion,” the Secretariat explained.

Recently, the top command of the Ghana Police Service experienced a major reshuffle.

COP Dr Sayibu Pabi Gariba moves from Director-General in charge of Technology to head the National Administration and Professional Development (NAPD) directorate.

COP Iddi Lansah Seidu has been reassigned from Welfare to serve as Director-General for Technology.

COP Dr Vance Baba Gariba shifts from Operations to become Director-General for Research and Planning.

COP Emmanuel Teye-Cudjoe moves from the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) to head Operations.

DCOP Darko Offei Lomotey leaves Research and Planning to take charge of the PPSB.

DCOP Eric Ken Winful moves from NAPD to oversee Welfare.The reshuffle also affected regional and technical commands:

DCOP Charles K. Adu appointed Eastern Sector Regional Commander.

DCOP Isaac Asante transferred from the Eastern Region to the National Headquarters.

DCOP George B. Ohene Boadi now serves as Central Regional Commander.

DCOP George Ankomah moves from Central MTTD/Ashanti Region to become Eastern North Regional Commander.

DCOP Alex Kodjo Wowolo, formerly Director of ICT at the National Headquarters, now heads Central MTTD/Ashanti Region.

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This top-rank reshuffle marks the first since his appointment on March 13 last year by President Mahama.

However, about a month after his appointment, he carried out a major reshuffle of police commanders stationed in areas notorious for illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, as part of the Ghana Police Service’s intensified campaign against the destructive activity.

The reshuffle, which primarily affected Divisional and District Commanders in the Eastern South, Western, and Western North regions, marked the first phase of a larger strategy aimed at revitalising the police response to illegal mining.

According to a police statement, “This reshuffle is part of a broader effort to ensure more effective policing in areas plagued by illegal mining,” adding that further changes are anticipated in the coming weeks.

In a statement issued by the Ghana Police Service titled Police Reshuffle Commanders in Galamsey Areas as It Intensifies Its War on Illegal Mining Activities, the Service reaffirmed the IGP’s commitment to fighting galamsey with renewed determination.

“The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, in keeping with his promise to wage a relentless war on illegal mining activities (galamsey), has reshuffled police commanders in galamsey-prone areas,” the statement read.

“This is said to be the first phase of the reshuffle exercise, as many more are expected to follow to inject fresh energy into the fight against illegal mining activities in the country,” it added.

Meanwhile, the police have made significant gains in their anti-galamsey operations. A special intelligence-led operation conducted over four consecutive days, beginning on April 17, 2025, in the Samreboi enclave in the Western Region, led to the arrest of 47 individuals involved in illegal mining activities.

The suspects, arrested along the Tano River and in the Aboi, Subri, and Nimiri forests, include 39 Ghanaians and eight Chinese nationals, among them four women.

Exhibits retrieved during the operation include seventeen excavators, one bulldozer, four motorbikes, two Toyota Hilux vehicles, one RAV4 vehicle, four pump-action guns, one single-barrel gun, 54 live BB cartridges, and eight pumping machines.

Below is the full statement by the police:

POLICE RESHUFFLE COMMANDERS IN GALAMSEY AREAS AS IT INTENSIFIES ITS WAR ON ILLEGAL MINING ACTIVITIES

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, in keeping with his promise to wage a relentless war on illegal mining activities (galamsey), has reshuffled police commanders in galamsey-prone areas.

This is said to be the first phase of the reshuffle exercise, as many more are expected to follow to inject fresh energy into the fight against illegal mining activities in the country.

Police commands affected include some Divisional and District Commanders, mainly in the Eastern South, Western, and Western North Police Regions.

In a related development, the Ghana Police Service has made a major breakthrough in its war against illegal mining (galamsey).

A special four-day continuous intelligence-led anti-galamsey operation, which started on April 17, 2025, within the Samreboi enclave in the Western Region, resulted in the arrest of 47 people for illegal mining activities along the Tano River and in the Aboi, Subri, and Nimiri forests of the Western Region.

The suspects comprise 39 Ghanaians and eight Chinese nationals, including four women.