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The Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response Unit has arrested 12 suspected illegal miners and confiscated equipment following an early-morning operation in the Atewa Range Forest Reserve.The raid targeted illegal mining activity in Compartments 61 and 62 near the Sagyimase community within the Kyebi Forest District. Around 1:30 a.m., 17 personnel drawn from the Assin Fosu, Akim Oda, and Juaso Forest Districts deployed in a covert operation to intercept active illegal mining inside the protected reserve. The unit caught a group of miners in the act, apprehending 12 individuals while others fled into the surrounding bush.
Officers seized five motorbikes including three Royal, one Apsonic Aloba, and one Apsonic Paul Sport along with 11 shovels, water hoses, gold-washing blankets, and three gallons of petrol.The 12 suspects, alongside two motorbikes and other seized items, were handed over to the Kyebi District Police Command for investigation and prosecution. The remaining three motorbikes are currently held at the Kyebi District Office of the Forest Services Division for safekeeping. The Forestry Commission confirmed the operation concluded without casualties, emphasizing that enforcement will remain ongoing to deter illegal mining across Ghana’s forest reserves.
Why It Matters
The Atewa Range Forest Reserve is a crucial biodiversity hotspot and watershed, providing the headwaters for the Birim, Densu, and Ayensu rivers, which serve as primary water sources for millions of residents across Greater Accra and surrounding regions. Persistent illegal mining in the reserve poses a direct threat to forest cover, ecosystem stability, and regional water security