NAIMOS has shut down multiple illegal mining sites in the Eastern Region after a full-day enforcement exercise on December 6 led to the seizure and disabling of excavators, the confiscation of equipment and the disruption of mining activities along the Birim and Ayensu river corridors.
The operation covered Akwadum, Ayigbe Town, and Ankaase Osino, where officers moved in on active concessions operating near critical water bodies.
At Akwadum, five excavators were secured, with three transported to Accra and two immobilised on-site. A similar intervention was carried out at Ayigbe Town, where two excavators were rendered non-operational and industrial pumping machines, along with diesel, were confiscated.
At Ankaase Osino, a site caretaker who claimed links to Extra Gold Mining Company Limited could not provide documentation. Officers seized his tributer identification card, two pumping machines and an unregistered Toyota Land Cruiser.
Follow-up checks at previously raided sites showed that some immobilised machines had been removed, highlighting ongoing attempts by operators to evade enforcement.
NAIMOS officers also observed miners still working less than a mile from the Birim and Ayensu rivers, contributing to extensive land degradation and pits filled with polluted water.
The task force documented deep excavation fields spanning several acres and confirmed recurring tactics in which operators strip or relocate excavators after receiving tip-offs.
Technical teams recommended removing fuel pumps during immobilisation to prevent the rapid recovery of machinery.
NAIMOS says illegal activity in the targeted areas has already declined and that its teams will maintain pressure until mining networks in the Eastern Region are fully dismantled.
