Member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communication Team, Alfred Thompson, has voiced grave concern about the escalating violence surrounding Ghana’s fight against illegal mining, known locally as galamsey. He described the situation as a national security crisis that demands urgent attention.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Tuesday, November 4, Mr. Thompson lamented that those spearheading the anti-galamsey campaign were increasingly becoming targets of violent attacks, a trend he warned could destabilize the country if not addressed promptly.
“It is really becoming sad that we can’t fight galamsey, and to me, it is a national security issue. The people who will fight it are the ones who are being fought. So you ask yourself, are we safe as a country? We are in trouble. Seriously, we should all be scared for ourselves,” he said.
He further appealed to President John Mahama to take decisive action within his remaining years in office, emphasizing that the nation’s future hinges on strong political will to confront the menace.
“I will plead with the President; he has about only three years remaining, and he has to leave a legacy. If he is the only one who can change the course of this dire situation in the country, he should do so. Where are we heading? Because if we are not careful as a country, we will be in trouble very soon,” he added.
Mr. Thompson’s remarks follow a recent violent attack on the Director of Operations of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and his team at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region on Saturday, November 1, 2025. The team was reportedly ambushed after intercepting a group of illegal miners operating near Bronikrom.
Preliminary police investigations revealed that the NAIMOS task force had arrested several suspects and seized crucial exhibits, including a Smith & Wesson pistol, ammunition, two pistol magazines, an unregistered Range Rover, an unregistered Toyota RAV4, and multiple mobile phones.
In reaction to the incident, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has directed the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to conduct a full-scale probe into the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.
