An elder of the Church of Pentecost has been arrested over alleged illegal mining activities at Akyem Morso near Juaso in the Ashanti Region.
According to a report by adomonline.com on April 30, 2026, the suspect, identified as David Bobie Peter, was picked up by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) during an operation in the area.
The exercise formed part of a targeted swoop along the Kume River, covering Morso, Kyekyebiase, and Bimma in the Asante Akim South District.
The report added that the NAIMOS task force first moved to Kyekyebiase, where a number of young men were found working at an illegal mining site but fled into the bush on seeing the team, leaving behind their equipment.
Officers dismantled the site and destroyed several items used for the illegal activity, including chanfang machines and wooden platforms, while some equipment was seized.
The team later discovered an excavator hidden in a nearby cocoa farm and disabled it.
NAIMOS said the suspect was arrested after he approached the team and claimed he was visiting his farm, but checks revealed otherwise.
“Intelligence… established that the man was in fact a foreman of one of the illegal mining sites,” the report quoted NAIMOS.
The Secretariat indicated that the suspect admitted during questioning that he was overseeing operations at a site in Morso and had been sent to confirm reports about the task force’s presence.
He reportedly led officers to another site, where parts of the Kume River had been polluted and diverted for mining activities.
Another excavator was found at the location and disabled by the team.
The suspect has since been handed over to the Ghana Police Service at Konongo for further investigations and possible prosecution.
NAIMOS warned that the fight against illegal mining will continue without fear or favour.
“The fight against illegal mining demands a unified, unwavering and uncompromising response,” the statement said.