A high-risk joint operation led by the Forestry Commission and the Ghana Armed Forces has successfully dismantled a sprawling illegal mining camp within the Abrewa-Ninkra section of the Subri Forest Reserve in Ghana’s Western Region on Tuesday, April 15.
The raid exposed a disturbing web of criminal activities and led to the destruction of makeshift mining structures, brothels, and shelters, as well as the rescue of trafficked victims, some of whom were young foreign nationals forced into prostitution and drug abuse.
The operation, described by officials as one of the most revealing in recent times, uncovered an underground settlement populated by nationals from Nigeria, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
The once-quiet forestry community had been turned into a hotspot for cross-border criminal activity, complete with drug use, money laundering operations, and human trafficking networks.
Authorities stated that the damage to the forest ecosystem and local community has been devastating.
Nana Kwabena Bosompim, Western Regional Forestry Manager, in an interview after the operation, stated that the illegal miners had constructed fully functional hubs, including wooden brothels and makeshift shelters that served both as living spaces and business centres.
Security officers described the entire setup as an “eyesore”, a complete departure from the forest’s original purpose as a conservation zone.
“The impact of the illegal mining activity in the forest is so devastating, so we raided this community and managed to get rid of the illegal mining hub that was constructed by the illegal mining. What we have seen here is an eyesore.”
He also stressed the severe environmental impact of the illegal activities, pointing to polluted rivers, destroyed vegetation, and deforestation on a massive scale.
He indicated that a combined security team would remain in the area for at least two weeks to prevent the miners from returning.
“We are told young girls nowadays do not even want to go to school; they want to be here to make money from the prostitution business, and that is very bad. When we were coming, we estimated to meet 2000 miners, but today when we came here in the morning, we estimated more than 10,000 and we could not affect arrest because the number of people we are going to arrest will not even fit in our vehicle.
“We just had to raid the community and burn down the equipment and make sure everybody is flushed out. We are going to be here for the next two weeks and will make sure every illegal miner is raided from this community.
“I sent a warning to all the miners to get out of this community, forest reserves and the water bodies. If you want to mine, do that legally, and we will have no issues with you,” he revealed.
