Kibi, Eastern Region
The Ghana Police Service in the Eastern South Regional Command has arrested five suspects accused of posing as operatives of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) while allegedly extorting money from miners.
The suspects, identified as Moses Tapiam (43), Christopher Amakor (29), Casimir Nunekpeku (29), Wisdom Miwonuko (35), and Paul Agbanu (53), were taken into custody on Friday, January 2, 2026, at Akwadum in the Abuakwa South Municipality near Kibi.
According to a press release issued on January 3 by DSP David Fianko Okyere of the Public Affairs Unit, the men were reportedly dressed in security uniforms, claiming to be NAIMOS officials dispatched from Accra. They were observed moving between mining sites, demanding payments from small-scale miners.
A NAIMOS team intercepted the suspects aboard a Mitsubishi 4×4 Pick-Up vehicle with registration number GS 536-25 and handed them over to the Eastern South Regional Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Kibi for further investigation.
The police have warned the public, particularly residents in mining communities, against impersonating security personnel, emphasizing that such acts constitute a criminal offense. “Persons holding themselves as such will be arrested and prosecuted,” the statement read.
The five individuals remain in custody assisting with investigations and are expected to be arraigned in court soon.
NAIMOS, established under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, serves as the central coordinating body for Ghana’s efforts to combat illegal small-scale mining, known as galamsey, which has caused widespread environmental degradation.
This arrest highlights ongoing challenges in the anti-galamsey campaign, including incidents of impersonation that exploit the authority of official task forces. Similar cases of fake operatives extorting miners have been reported in other regions in recent years.