IGP reshuffles Commanders in galamsey hotspots

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno has started a reshuffle of commanders stationed in illegal mining sites (galamsey) hotspots across the country, as Ghana police intensifies its crackdown on the destructive activity.

This move is in line to the pledge to wage a relentless war on illegal mining activities, marks the first phase of what the IGP describe as a broader exercise to inject new energy and accountability into the fight against galamsey.

This reshuffle is targeted to Divisional and District commanders mainly in the Eastern South, Western, and Western North regions in the country.

A statement released by the IGP noted that, this reshuffle is part of a broader effort to ensure more effectiveness in the policing areas plagued by illegal mining, emphasizing that more changes are underway in the consecutive weeks ahead.

The reshuffle is also seen as a strategic response to challenges posed by activities of illegal mining industry such as environmental degradation and a threat to our water bodies.

In a related development, the Ghana Police Service has made a major breakthrough in its war against illegal mining (galamsey).

Conducted from April 17, 2025, a special four-day intelligence-led anti-galamsey operation within the Samreboi enclave in the Western Region has resulted in the arrest of 47 people for illegal mining activities along the Tano River and in the Aboi, Subri and Nimiri forests of the Western region.

The suspects comprise 39 Ghanaians and 8 Chinese nationals, as well as four (4) women.

The police also seized a substantial quantity of equipment and vehicles used in the illicit activities. 

Exhibits retrieved during the operation include;

1. Seventeen (17) excavators
2. One (1) bulldozer
3. Four (4) motorbikes
4. Two (2) Toyota Hilux vehicles
5. One (1) Rav4 vehicle
6. Four (4) pump action guns
7. One (1) single barrel gun
8. 54 live BB cartridges and
9. Eight (8) pumping machines

The Police has highlighted that those arrested are in police custody as the items retrieved will serve as evidence as the suspects face prosecution.

The Ghana Police Service has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the law and protecting the country’s natural resources from illegal victimization.