NAiMOS agents expanded their nationwide anti-illegal mining campaign into the Western North Region yesterday, dealing one of the most significant blows yet to illegal mining networks operating along the Bia River in the Suaman Dadieso District.
A task force of thirty-one members arrived in the Kwabena Lantey and Suibo operational zones late in the morning and operated through the night.
Almost quickly, officers discovered a massive illegal mining concession buried behind dense jungle near the Bia River.
Evidence from the scene revealed that operators had been told off ahead of time.
To avoid seizure, a number of excavators had been hastily hidden in the jungle and had their control boards taken off.
The operation’s close proximity to the river demonstrated the extent of the environmental concern, as there were obvious indications that the nearby villages’ dependable water supply had already started to deteriorate due to silt and toxic discharge.
The operation became more intense in Niger, a suburb of Dadieso where a fugitive suspect’s abandoned cell phone unexpectedly revealed information.
NAiMOS used the unlocked device to find messages associated with a contact on WhatsApp who was saved as “Boss Lii.”
These interactions suggested that foreign nationals were directly coordinating.
Following this crucial lead, agents located and captured nine (9) Chinese nationals, all of whom were men, and escorted them to various locations for on-site confirmation of their involvement.
At these sites, authorities demolished temporary mining structures that had been used as processing and lodging shelters and recorded deteriorated areas of the Bia River.
To stop any effort at reoccupation, a number of these buildings were demolished.
Important tools and supplies needed to support illicit mining operations were taken by NAiMOS during the operation.
Two (2) excavator filters, a Tecno smartphone, a water pump, a small car wash equipment for processing minerals, a container with a tiny amount of mercury, and a motorcycle for transportation between forest locations were among them.
Every item was taken out of the operative zone and secured.
Later in the evening, a four-person team from the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GIISDEC) arrived on site to take care of scrap metal and heavy equipment remnants as part of a coordinated post operation support.
As part of a larger national scrap recovery effort, the team, lead by GIISDEC Senior Officer Hannah Arhin, was escorted by NAiMOS agents to the Suaman Dadieso District Assembly before moving further inland to Asankragua.
All nine Chinese foreign nationals who had been arrested were taken to NAiMOS Headquarters for formal investigations by a four-person NAiMOS escort squad as the operation came to a close.
The Deputy Superintendent of Police assured the task force during an official visit to the Dadieso Divisional Police Station that the homes connected to the suspects would be guarded until further directives from property owners were received.
An unidentified caller attempted to bribe the team with an offer of two million seven hundred thousand Ghana cedis (2,700,000) in exchange for the release of the jailed foreign citizens, according to a dramatic final development revealed by NAiMOS officials.
The offer was promptly turned down, demonstrating the rigorous integrity and discipline that underpin the organization.
Throughout the mission, the task force maintained complete operational control despite demanding circumstances and long moving hours.
At the center of strategic control was still the Director of Operations, who remotely issued orders in real time and made sure field teams followed national security priorities and their mandate. The
Source: newsthemegh.com