The gang attacked a team embarking on an anti-galamsey operation in the Offinso Forest belt
A member of the Rapid Response Unit of the Ghana Forestry Commission is battling for his life after being attacked by a gang of armed illegal miners.
According to journalist Erastus Asare Donkor, the attack, in the form of an ambush, occurred in the Offin Shelterbelt Forest Reserve on Sunday, March 23, 2025, when the team was embarking on an anti-galamsey operation.
“These armed illegal miners just ambushed and attacked members of the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response Team, wounding one critically. A member of the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response Team is struggling for his life after being slashed in the knee with a machete by armed illegal miners in the Offin Shelterbelt Forest Reserve.
“The team was ambushed by the miners carrying assault rifles and machetes. The officer, who is yet to be identified, is in critical condition at KATH. Before they entered the area, the team took pictures of these armed thugs, but upon entry, they realized a number of them had laid an ambush,” he wrote.
Pictures shared by the journalist show some of the illegal miners wielding weapons such as machetes and assault rifles.
The attack comes amid growing concerns over the proliferation of weapons and heightened security issues in the fight against illegal mining.
In recent years, the proliferation of weapons in galamsey areas has escalated, with miners using firearms—ranging from locally made guns to sophisticated rifles—to protect their operations from law enforcement and rival groups.
This trend, linked to weak regulations and the involvement of armed foreign and local actors, poses a growing threat to public safety and national security.
The Acting Executive Secretary of the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NACSA), Dr. Adam Bonaa, recently highlighted disarmament as the most effective means to end the security issues in areas plagued by illegal mining, chieftaincy disputes, and landguardism.
Dr. Bonaa argued that removing weapons from these hotspots would drastically reduce the impunity with which perpetrators operate.
“If you take away guns and bullets from galamsey sites, Bawku, and areas of landguardism, these bad activities will come to an end. Because they wield these weapons, they have no fear of taking your land away from you,” he said.
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