NAIMOS task force arrests galamsey kingpin for bribery, seizes excavators at Cape Three Points

The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has arrested a suspected illegal mining kingpin and four accomplices after they attempted to bribe operatives during a raid in the Cape Three Points Forest Reserve.

In an operation carried out on Saturday, January 31, 2026, the NAIMOS task force seized two excavators and destroyed several makeshift structures and mining equipment at galamsey sites within the ecologically sensitive forest reserve, where widespread environmental degradation has been reported.

The excavators were initially found immobilised, with their monitors removed and hidden by the miners. After recovering the monitors, the team began moving the machinery from the forest to the main road for transportation to the NAIMOS holding yard in Takoradi.

During the evacuation process, a suspect identified as Bright Mensah, believed to be a galamsey kingpin, approached a task force member in a white pickup truck with registration number GT 8299-24. Mensah, who claimed ownership of the excavators, allegedly offered a GH₵20,000 bribe to secure their release.

Instead of accepting the bribe, the operative alerted the team, leading to the arrest of Mensah and four other miners linked to his operation. All suspects have been handed over to the Abura Police Station in the Agona Nkwanta District for further investigation. The pickup vehicle used by Mensah has also been impounded.

The operation underscores the government’s intensified efforts to combat illegal mining and protect Ghana’s forest reserves from further destruction.