Pentecost church elder arrested as galamsey supervisor in Ashanti Region

• NAIMOS has arrested an Elder of The Church of Pentecost for allegedly supervising illegal mining at Akyem Morso in the Ashanti Region.

• The operation led to the destruction and seizure of mining equipment and revealed severe pollution of the Kume River.

• The suspect has been handed over to police for further investigation and possible prosecution.

The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has arrested a foreman of an illegal small-scale mining site at Akyem Morso near Juaso in the Asante Akim South District of the Ashanti Region.

The arrest followed a targeted enforcement operation conducted along the Kume River, covering Morso, Kyekyebiase and Bimma, where illegal mining activities were ongoing.

The suspect, identified as Elder David Bobie Peter, later disclosed during interrogation that he is an Elder of The Church of Pentecost at Konongo.

ALSO READ: ECG releases power outage schedule for today, April 30 – See affected areas

The NAIMOS task force launched the operation at Kyekyebiase, where several illegal miners were found actively working on site. Upon arrival, the miners fled into nearby bushes, abandoning their equipment.

Although the fleeing miners were not arrested, the task force dismantled and destroyed eight chanfang machines and four wooden gold washing platforms through controlled burning. Twelve water pumping machines were also seized.

ALSO READ: How to register your child for a Ghana card: A step-by-step guide

A further sweep of the area revealed excavator tracks leading into a nearby cocoa farm, where a Sany excavator had been concealed. The machine was subsequently immobilised by the task force.

During the operation, a man dressed in a yellow T-shirt and white shorts approached officers and claimed he was visiting his farm. However, intelligence gathered on site identified him as a foreman linked to the illegal mining activities.

He was later confirmed as David Bobie Peter, who admitted he was supervising an illegal mining site at Morso. He also stated that he had been sent by his boss, identified as Mr Appiah, to verify the presence of the NAIMOS task force following reports of the operation.

ALSO READ: 9 surefire ways to pass BECE without cheating or chasing 'apor'

He further confirmed that he is an Elder of The Church of Pentecost at Konongo.

He subsequently led the task force to the Morso site, where officers found extensive environmental damage, including severe pollution and diversion of the Kume River to support mining activities.

A second excavator at the site was also immobilised by the task force.

ALSO READ: Top 10 countries in Africa with the best governments: 2026 rankings

The suspect has since been handed over to the Konongo District Police for further investigation and possible prosecution.

NAIMOS has cautioned individuals involved in illegal mining to desist from such activities, regardless of social or religious status, and urged traditional authorities and security agencies to intensify enforcement in affected areas.