Ghana Scales Up Internal Security and Anti-Galamsey Operations Amid Growing Police Scrutiny and Regional Governance Challenges

Ghana’s fight against illegal mining has reached a critical juncture as the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) reported significant progress in its first ten months of operation. During a series of press briefings, Director of Operations Colonel Dominic Buah revealed that the secretariat has achieved an 87% operational success rate, resulting in the arrest of 237 individuals—primarily foreign nationals—and the destruction of nearly 3,000 ‘changfang’ machines. The secretariat also confirmed the seizure of 94 excavators, which remain securely stored pending government disposal or repurposing for agricultural use. Beyond field operations, NAIMOS has expanded its scope to investigate illegal ‘gold washing’ occurring within residential homes and is overseeing the reclamation of over 800 acres of degraded land in the Ashanti Region. Despite these successes, Colonel Buah emphasized that the mission remains non-political and urgently requires increased logistical and financial support to combat the evolving tactics of illegal miners.

Simultaneously, the Ghana Police Service has intensified its crime-fighting efforts with the deployment of 111 personnel from the IGP’s Special Operations Team to the Kumasi metropolis. Led by DSP Bawah Abdul Jalil and ASP Samuel Mustapha Abenzuo, the unit is tasked with restoring public confidence and addressing rising criminal activities through sustained patrols and intelligence-led operations. However, this deployment has been overshadowed by mounting controversy surrounding the unit’s conduct. The ‘Black Maria’ task force has faced severe public backlash following allegations of an assault on renowned Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama in Tamale. While police claim they were protecting Mahama from a mob, the artist alleges he was brutalized for recording the officers. This incident, coupled with previous accusations of excessive force involving musician Fancy Gadam, has led to a growing public outcry for the dismantling of the special unit.

These domestic security developments occur against a backdrop of broader governance and security challenges across the African continent. In South Africa, the National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola is set to face charges in a $20 million health tender scandal, a case that has implicated fifteen others and raised serious concerns about systemic corruption within law enforcement. Meanwhile, social tensions remain high in Durban, where the civic group ‘March and March’ and the ‘Operation Dudula’ movement recently staged protests demanding stricter immigration laws and mass deportations. These regional events underscore a period of intense scrutiny for security agencies and political leaders as they navigate the complexities of law enforcement, environmental protection, and public accountability.