More than 300 people have been remanded for two weeks following a joint military-police operation targeting alleged attackers of National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) officials, Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) staff, and journalists.
The suspects, residents from Dadwene and Anwona in the Ashanti Region, and Hwidiem, Kenyase, Goaso, and Marhani in the Ahafo Region—were arrested during simultaneous raids at dawn on Wednesday, 12th November 2025. An additional operation took place at Ehi in the Volta Region.
Social media videos show many of the detainees, mostly men, lined up on streets and subjected to physical exercises, appearing distressed and uncertain of the charges against them. Residents claim the security forces mistakenly targeted the wrong Dadwene community along the Kumasi–Obuasi stretch, instead of the intended location along the Obuasi–Dunkwa road, where an EPA team had reportedly been attacked.
The suspects were later transported to Kumasi and arraigned in court, all being remanded for two weeks. Emotional scenes unfolded at Kumasi Central Prisons as families queued to visit loved ones or secure bail.
Eyewitnesses allege that some detainees’ pleas of innocence were ignored. “My husband even showed them his ID card proving he works as an electrician for AGA, but the police didn’t heed and sent him away. They ransacked our room and didn’t explain what he had done wrong,” said Kukuaa Amissah, wife of one arrested resident.
Residents and MPs, including Tano North MP Gideon Boako, have condemned the mass arrests, insisting that many innocent people were swept up. They are calling for the immediate release of those wrongly detained and urging the military to carry out more precise, targeted operations.
