A tense standoff unfolded at the Hwidiem Police Station in the Ahafo Region on Saturday afternoon, when a crowd surrounded the station following an anti-illegal mining operation.
The sequence of events began when the National Anti‑Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), led by Dominic Buah, arrived with a nine-member military team. They had intercepted suspected illegal mining activity around Bronikrom, near Hwidiem.
During the operation, two individuals—identified as Zakaria and Kwame Alex—were arrested. Also seized were a Range Rover, an unregistered Toyota RAV4, mobile phones and other items. The team reported that they also found a Smith & Wesson pistol, two magazines, 21 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, and 12 mobile phones.
After the team brought the suspects and evidence to the police station, some 600 residents from Hwidiem and neighbouring communities gathered, demanding that the seized vehicles be released and that the soldiers be handed over. The crowd vandalised a Toyota Hilux pickup belonging to the NAIMOS team.
With tensions rising, the regional police command deployed reinforcements including the Regional Crime Officer and a 15-member task force to the station.
As night approached and with a power outage compounding the risks, discussions among the police, military and community leaders—including the Zongo Chief of Hwidiem, Mohammed Bashiru—led to a decision to hand over the keys to the seized vehicles in an effort to defuse the situation.
Using the Zongo Chief’s Toyota Sequoia, Col Buah and his team were evacuated under police escort to the Newmont Mining Corporation site at Kenyase. During the evacuation, the Zongo Chief’s vehicle was also damaged. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
At Kenyase, police took custody of exhibits from the operation, including the firearm, ammunition, mobile phones, cash totaling GH¢11,000 and other personal effects. Calm has since been restored at the police station, although surveillance remains heightened and investigations are ongoing.
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