The recent violent attack on the Director of Operations of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and his team at Bronikrom, in the Ahafo Region, should trouble every well-meaning Ghanaian. This is not just another security incident it is a dangerous signal that the fight against illegal mining, or galamsey, is being sabotaged from within the political establishment.
According to reports, the NAIMOS Director and his team were assaulted on November 1, 2025 while conducting an anti-galamsey operation. Their mission, which led to the arrest of sixteen illegal miners and the seizure of weapons, vehicles and cash, was violently interrupted by a group allegedly led by the Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Ebenezer KwakuAddo. Eyewitnesses say the MP stormed the operation site with a mob to demand the release of the suspects, an act that escalated into chaos.
The mob later besieged the Hwidiem Police Station, vandalised police property and destroyed a Toyota Hilux pickup belonging to the NAIMOS Director. It took police reinforcements, the military and the Zongo Chief of Hwidiem, Alhaji Mohammed BashiruZarikyi, to restore calm and safely evacuate the officials. Though no deaths were recorded, the incident marks a grave assault on the rule of law.
The Chronicle strongly condemns this shameful act of interference and intimidation. Ghana cannot win the war against environmental destruction if elected officials who should know better act as defenders of lawbreakers. The alleged involvement of a Member of Parliament in obstructing an official anti-galamsey operation is an affront to democracy, governance and environmental justice.
We commend the bravery and professionalism of the NAIMOS operatives. In a country where corruption and compromise too often define the enforcement of environmental laws, the NAIMOS officers stood their ground. They put Ghana first, even at the risk of their own lives. A video circulating on social media shows some of the arrested miners attempting to bribe the officers to gain their freedom. Their refusal to yield to such temptations deserves national recognition.
Yet, what this incident reveals is more alarming. It exposes the deep-rooted political complicity sustaining galamsey. Successive governments have declared war on illegal mining, yet the menace persists because powerful individuals, some wearing political colours, continue to shield perpetrators for personal or electoral gain. The assault on NAIMOS is, therefore, not just an attack on an institution, but an attack on the state itself.
Let us not deceive ourselves, galamsey is not only destroying our rivers and forests, it is poisoning our future. Harmful chemicals like mercury and cyanide are contaminating water bodies, killing aquatic life and entering the food chain. The once fertile lands of Ghana’s mining belts are now toxic wastelands. Reports from some communities indicate that women are giving birth to deformed babies because of heavy metal contamination. These are not isolated tragedies —they are national emergencies.
We are, therefore, appalled that while such irreversible damage continues, some public officials would choose to defend or abet these environmental crimes. The President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, must treat this incident as a critical test of his administration’s sincerity in the fight against galamsey.
The government must act decisively, not with rhetoric, but with justice. Any MP or public officer found to have obstructed an official operation must face the full rigours of the law. The Chronicle is happy to hear that the Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, has been arraigned before court, after being accused of interfering with the work of NAIMOS. This surely is the way to go.
About a fortnight ago, The Chronicle called on President Mahama to go after the “big wigs” behind the illegal mining network. That call remains relevant. The events at Bronikrom have presented the President with a golden opportunity to demonstrate that no one, regardless of political affiliation is above the law.
Ghanaians are watching closely. The credibility of the national campaign against galamsey depends on whether the state can protect those fighting on its behalf. NAIMOS represents the hope of millions who still believe Ghana can reclaim its lands, rivers and dignity.This is not the time for political compromise. It is time to rally behind NAIMOS — not with words, but with decisive national action.
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