In an operationally significant development, the Director of Operations of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), Colonel Dominic Buah, conducted a two-day working tour of the Ahafo Region from 9 to 10 April 2026, visiting the NAIMOS taskforce recently deployed to reassert security authority over the Desiri Forest Reserve.
The taskforce, deployed approximately three weeks ago, was tasked with confronting the nefarious activities of illegal miners and armed thugs who had created a pervasive climate of insecurity within the reserve. Their activities had resulted in the wanton destruction of forest cover, the rampant devastation of cocoa farms, uncontrolled land degradation and the reckless creation of dangerous pits that pose a significant threat to human and animal life, particularly with the approach of the rainy season.
Arriving at Tepa on 9 April, the Director held extensive and fruitful interactions with the visibly elated NAIMOS personnel, obtaining a firsthand assessment of the state of ongoing operations and the administrative arrangements in place for the troops.
Following a mini durbar with the taskforce, Colonel Buah proceeded to Mfante, an area that has since been cleared of illegal mining activities, to inspect the work done and verify the reclamation situation on the ground at the Desiri Forest Reserve. He subsequently assessed progress made on a proposed new accommodation facility being prepared to establish a permanent NAIMOS post in the Ahafo Region.
Following the field visits, the Director paid a courtesy call at the Tepa Omanhene’s Palace, where he interacted with the traditional ruler of the area. He also held substantive discussions with the District Chief Executive, Honourable Kwasi Adusei, as part of broader efforts to engage key stakeholders towards ensuring that the Desiri Forest Reserve is cleared of illegal mining activities and sustainably maintained going forward.
It will be recalled that in 2025, NAIMOS boldly recaptured the Desiri Forest Reserve, which had previously been designated a No-Go Area and classified as a Red Zone by the Forestry Commission due to the activities of notorious armed thugs and illegal miners who had rendered the forest wholly insecure for Forestry Commission guards.
Regrettably, following the withdrawal of NAIMOS from the area, the armed thugs and galamseyers managed to resume their activities, necessitating the current fresh operational deployment.
The ongoing operations are a positive and decisive step taken by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in line with NAIMOS’s operational strategy to rid the Desiri Forest Reserve, and all others, of armed thuggery and illegal mining activity.
These actions are ultimately expected to restore lasting security in the affected areas and ensure the appropriate and legitimate management of the nation’s forests and the mineral resources therein.
In a related development, the DCE for the Tepa Area, Honourable Kwasi Adusei, and a communications officer at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. Mamudu Kabore, were both escorted into the NAIMOS-secured areas of the forest reserve to inspect reclamation works carried out under NAIMOS supervision since the commencement of current operations approximately three weeks ago.
