The Forestry Commission has arrested eleven Chinese nationals and ten Ghanaians during a coordinated, intelligence-led raid on illegal mining activities in the Yakombo Forest Reserve, located in the Buipe Forest District of the Savannah Region.
The operation, carried out on Tuesday, December 2, involved a 51-member team of forest guards from the Buipe and Bole Forest District offices of the Forest Services Division, supported by three Rapid Response units, aimed at dismantling illicit mining within the protected reserve.
The suspects were apprehended in Compartments 50 and 51 of the reserve, near Tuntumba in the Bole-Bamboi District.
The Yakombo Forest Reserve, established in 1974 and covering approximately 1,210 square kilometres, is Ghana’s largest forest reserve, making the recent illegal activity a significant threat to its ecological integrity.
The Chinese nationals arrested are 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).
The Ghanaians detained include 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).
The operation also resulted in the seizure of vehicles and mining equipment, including one Toyota Hilux, two Great Wall pick-up trucks, three Howo tipper trucks, and one Man Diesel low-bed truck transporting an excavator.
All suspects have been transferred to the Damongo Regional Police Command to assist with investigations and face possible prosecution. Confiscated equipment has been moved to the Mole National Park under the supervision of the Forestry Commission’s Wildlife Division.
