Police CID invites Asutifi North MP over alleged attack on NAIMOS director and team

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asutifi North, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, has been invited by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters to assist with investigations into an alleged attack on the Director of Operations of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and his team at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region.

This invitation follows a directive by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, instructing the CID to take over the case after the NAIMOS team, led by Colonel Buah, reportedly came under attack by a mob allegedly linked to the MP.

In a statement dated Monday November 3 and signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director-General of Public Affairs, the police disclosed that preliminary investigations by the police revealed that on Saturday, 1 November 2025, the NAIMOS Director and ten (10) soldiers intercepted illegal miners operating near Bronikrom.

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Several suspects were arrested, and items retrieved included a Smith & Wesson pistol, two pistol magazines, twenty-one (21) rounds of 9mm ammunition, a side bag, mobile phones, and two unregistered vehicles, a Range Rover and a Toyota RAV4.

Police sources disclosed that while preparations were being made to transport the suspects to the Hwidiem Police Station, Hon. Addo allegedly arrived at the scene with a group of men and demanded the immediate release of the suspects. “When the team refused, the group forcibly removed the handcuffs and chased the NAIMOS officers from the area,” a police source said.

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A mob of about six hundred (600) people, believed to have been mobilised by the MP, later besieged the Hwidiem Police Station, vandalised the Director’s Toyota Hilux pickup, and threatened to set the police station ablaze. Reinforcement teams from the Ahafo Regional Command were deployed to prevent further destruction.

Calm was eventually restored through the joint efforts of the police, military, and the Zongo Chief of Hwidiem, Alhaji Mohammed Bashiru Zarikyi, who mediated the situation and assisted in the safe evacuation of the NAIMOS team. Although the Chief’s vehicle was damaged in the process, no injuries were reported.

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The Ghana Police Service condemned the attack and cautioned the public against interference in law enforcement duties. The Service reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining order and ensuring that all individuals involved in the incident face the full rigour of the law.