A joint operation led by the Forestry Commission and the Ghana Armed Forces has successfully dismantled an illegal mining camp within the Abrewa-Ninkran section of the Subri Forest Reserve in the Western Region.
The raid unveiled a disturbing web of criminal activities, resulting in the destruction of makeshift mining structures, brothels, and shelters, as well as the rescue of trafficked individuals.
The operation described by officials as one of the most significant operations in recent times, the initiative uncovered an underground settlement inhabited by nationals from Nigeria, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
Western Regional Forestry Manager, Nana Kwabena Bosompim stated in an interview following the operation that the illegal miners had constructed fully functional hubs, including wooden brothels and makeshift shelters that served both as living spaces and business centres.
“There’s a village called Abrewa-Ninkra and it is a mining hub, a hub of illegal mining in the forest reserve, and we managed to flush out all the miners.
“When we were coming, we estimated 2,000 miners, slightly more than 2,000 miners, but today, raiding here in the early hours of this morning, we estimated more than 10,000.
“We’re going to be here for nearly two weeks to ensure the last illegal miner is eradicated from this community.
“I want all miners to get out from this community, get out from the forest reserves, get out of our rivers, and if you do so then we can live in peace. But if you refuse and the law catches up with you,” he warned.
