Forestry Commission Arrests 21 Suspected Illegal Miners in Yakombo Forest Reserve Swoop
A joint anti-galamsey operation led by the Forestry Commission has resulted in the arrest of 11 Chinese nationals and 10 Ghanaians during an intelligence-driven raid inside the Yakombo Forest Reserve in the Buipe Forest District.
The swoop, conducted on 2nd December 2025, involved 51 personnel made up of forest guards from the Buipe and Bole Forest Districts and three Rapid Response Teams of the Forest Services Division. The suspects were apprehended at Compartments 50 and 51 of the reserve, near Tuntumba in the Bole-Bamboi District.
Names of the Chinese suspects:
Tang Shao Qi, 28; He Peng, 40; Zhou Qin Sar, 25; Wu Xu, 39; He Chuang Ye, 45; Cheng Lin, 40; Long Xi, 32; Yang Gesheng, 51; Zhang Hongzhaojie, 34; Zhou Peng, 39; and Wu Yujie, 24.
Names of the Ghanaian suspects:
Alhassan Yakubu; Daniel Mba, 33; Pious Kwabena, 20; Emmanuel Amankra, 40; Seidu Suleman, 44; Sampson Akawuni, 22; Thadeus Gideon, 27; Mohammed Salim, 21; Mohammed Kanamu, 25; and Saaka Yakubu, 22.
Equipment seized
The taskforce also impounded several heavy-duty vehicles believed to have been used for illegal mining activities. These include:
One Toyota Hilux
Two Great Wall pick-up trucks
Three Howo tipper trucks
One Man Diesel low-bed truck carrying an excavator
All suspects have since been handed over to the Damongo Regional Police Command for further investigations and possible prosecution. The seized machinery has been transported to the Mole National Park, under the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, for safe keeping.
About the Yakombo Forest Reserve
Established in 1974, the Yakombo Forest Reserve is Ghana’s largest protected forest area, covering an estimated 1,210 square kilometres. Authorities say the recent wave of illegal mining activities poses a significant threat to its ecological integrity.
The Forestry Commission says the operation forms part of sustained national efforts to clamp down on illegal mining, especially in forest reserves across the country.
