Gwira Banso in the Nzema East Municipality, long described as a notorious hub for illegal mining, has come under renewed pressure as the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and the Nzema East Blue Water Guards launched a major enforcement operation along the Ankobra River.
The intelligence-led exercise, which began on Sunday, March 1, 2026, targeted illegal dredging activities on the river at Gwira Banso, a community repeatedly flagged as a hotspot for galamsey operations.
According to a statement issued by NAIMOS, the joint task force observed multiple dredging platforms fitted with chanfan machines mounted directly within the riverbed upon arrival. However, operators were nowhere to be found.
Preliminary intelligence from local sources suggested that the illegal miners had fled the area ahead of the task force’s arrival in an attempt to evade arrest.
Undeterred, the joint team proceeded to secure the area and dismantle all equipment discovered at the site.In what officials describe as one of the largest single-day seizures in the area, the task force destroyed 52 dredging chanfan platforms and 12 gold washing platforms.
Sixty-six chanfan machines and four motorbikes believed to have facilitated the illegal operations were rendered inoperable through controlled burning.
Large quantities of bamboo structures used in constructing the floating dredging platforms, along with water hoses and other auxiliary mining materials were also destroyed to prevent their reuse.
The Ankobra River, one of the most polluted water bodies in the Western Region, has suffered extensive ecological damage due to years of unregulated dredging and illegal mining activities.
The latest operation forms part of what NAIMOS describes as a sustained nationwide strategy to dismantle the logistics, equipment and infrastructure supporting illegal mining on Ghana’s water bodies.
The Director of Operations at NAIMOS emphasised that the collaboration with the Blue Water Guards signals a strengthened community-based enforcement model aimed at protecting critical water resources.
He assured that the joint task force would maintain a continuous presence along the river to prevent the re-establishment of illegal mining camps.
The Secretariat reiterated government’s commitment to restoring polluted rivers and safeguarding the environment for future generations.
It also appealed to residents in mining-prone communities to support ongoing operations by volunteering credible information on illegal activities.
NAIMOS further assured the public that similar intelligence-driven raids would be intensified across other affected areas as authorities step up efforts to eradicate illegal mining and preserve Ghana’s natural resources.
