Lands Minister, Speaker Bagbin, and Interior Minister Meet Over Attack on NAIMOS Team at Hwediem
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, has convened an emergency meeting with Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin and Interior Minister Henry Quartey following reports of a violent attack on a National Alternative Livelihood and Mining Oversight Secretariat (NAIMOS) monitoring team at Hwediem in the Ahafo Region.
The meeting, held on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at Parliament House, sought to coordinate a multi-agency response to the incident, which left several members of the NAIMOS field team injured and vehicles vandalised. The assault occurred while the officials were inspecting small-scale mining operations suspected of violating environmental and mineral licensing regulations.
According to preliminary reports from the Lands Ministry, the NAIMOS team, accompanied by local security officers, had gone to Hwediem to verify allegations of illegal gold mining in restricted zones near community farmlands and water bodies. The group was ambushed by unidentified assailants believed to be linked to illegal mining interests. Eyewitnesses said the attackers used stones and sticks to chase the team away, damaging at least two government vehicles in the process.
In his remarks during the closed-door session, Minister Buah described the attack as “an assault on lawful state authority and the integrity of Ghana’s natural resource governance.” He assured the Speaker that a high-level investigation had been launched in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service and the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) to identify and prosecute the perpetrators.
Speaker Bagbin expressed grave concern over the rising trend of violent resistance to state-led mining regulation, warning that “law enforcement officers and civil servants must never be intimidated for doing their work.” He urged the Interior Ministry to strengthen coordination between local assemblies, security agencies, and the Lands Ministry to prevent similar occurrences in mining-prone communities.
Interior Minister Henry Quartey confirmed that additional police and military personnel had been deployed to Hwediem and surrounding communities to restore calm and ensure the safety of state officials in the area. “We cannot allow such acts of lawlessness to go unchecked,” he stated, adding that the perpetrators “will face the full consequences of the law.”
The NAIMOS Secretariat, which operates under the Lands Ministry, was created to promote sustainable mining practices and alternative livelihood support for small-scale miners displaced by the government’s clampdown on illegal mining (galamsey). The Hwediem team was conducting part of the ministry’s third-quarter inspection of reclamation and community engagement projects when the attack occurred.
Following the meeting, Minister Buah disclosed plans to review operational security protocols for all NAIMOS field assignments, including mandatory joint deployment with regional security taskforces. He emphasized that while the government remains committed to supporting legitimate small-scale miners, it will not tolerate attacks on officials enforcing national laws.
He also assured the public that the ministry’s broader efforts to sanitize Ghana’s mining sector will continue undeterred. “No act of intimidation will derail our agenda to ensure responsible and sustainable mining for national development,” he said.
Reports indicate that the injured NAIMOS officers are receiving treatment at the Goaso Government Hospital, and their conditions are stable. The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has also dispatched a fact-finding delegation to Hwediem to collect eyewitness accounts and assess the extent of the damage.
The attack has reignited national debate over the safety of officials enforcing the government’s anti-galamsey measures, particularly in regions where illegal mining remains widespread and economically entrenched. Civil society groups have condemned the violence and urged authorities to act swiftly.
As the investigation unfolds, the joint task force, comprising the Police, NIB, and the Bureau of National Investigations, is expected to brief Parliament later this week on preliminary findings and recommended security actions.
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