The Administrator of the Minerals Development Fund (MDF), Dr Hannah Louisa Bissiw, has detailed a harrowing experience during an anti-illegal mining operation in Bui Sobinso, Ashanti Region.
The mission, which led to the arrest of 24 suspects; 14 Chinese nationals and 10 Ghanaians turned perilous when the team came under a “hostage-style” ambush.
The raid on the Bui Sobinso illegal mining site was ordered by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno.
According to a report by myjoyonline.com, on June 6, 2025, a police contingent, comprising six senior officers and 130 personnel, spearheaded the operation, aimed at mitigating illicit mining activities that threaten Ghana’s natural resources.
The report further detailed the account of the incident by the Administrator of the Minerals Development Fund (MDF).
Dr Bissiw narrated the terrifying encounter with a group, believed to be connected to the illegal mining network.
The team, which included journalists, faced gunfire and had their vehicles assaulted with machetes by armed individuals attempting to obstruct the arrest and transfer of the Chinese suspects.
“Even in the village, we had this group coming and besieging the place; basically holding us hostage. Gunshots were everywhere, and they wouldn’t allow us to go with the Chinese. They were hitting the vehicles with machetes… it was a life-and-death situation,” Dr Bissiw recounted.
Despite the intense struggle, the team managed to reach the Nyinahin Police Station.
However, Dr Bissiw further alleged that officers at the station attempted to redirect them and pressured them to release the arrested Chinese nationals.
“That’s when I really got upset. After all we’d been through in the village, I told the police commander that we weren’t leaving even a pin behind. It happened in your jurisdiction, and it’s just around the corner,” she told the police.
Watch snippets from the near hostage attack below:
Illegal miners clash with the anti-galamsey task force team at Akomfere, a village in the Atwima Mponua district of the Ashanti Region.#TV3GH pic.twitter.com/jh2qppivc0
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) June 5, 2025
