Reported by GhanaCrimes Newsroom·2 min read
Three people are reported to have died and two personnel of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) sustained gunshot wounds during a confrontation at Manso Keniago in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region on Wednesday 11 November 2026, according to NAIMOS and several Ghanaian news outlets.
In a statement and, NAIMOS said its task force was moving excavators seized during an anti-illegal mining operation to a designated location for safekeeping when its personnel encountered an armed mob that tried to obstruct the movement of the equipment. The Secretariat said its personnel fired warning shots to deter the mob and prevent the confrontation escalating, and that two of its personnel were shot.
NAIMOS condemned the attack and warned that "attacks, threats, and other forms of violent resistance" against its operations would not be tolerated.
that residents and suspected illegal miners blocked the road and threw stones at the personnel's vehicles, shattering some windscreens. that there was an exchange of gunfire and that, as of 6pm, three people had died. that a NAIMOS spokesperson, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, said in a Facebook post that three people had been confirmed dead in the confrontation. Earlier reports had put the death toll at two. headline also referred to 13 people injured; Ghana Crimes has not independently confirmed that figure.
Residents have given a different account. quoted the chief of Dome Keniago, also in Amansie South, as saying the community was in fear and mourning, and reported his allegation that NAIMOS personnel were after his life. allegations that NAIMOS operatives killed two people and severed another person's hand. These allegations have not been independently verified, and NAIMOS's published statement does not address them.
The identities of those who died and the circumstances of each death had not been officially confirmed at the time of publication. There was no published police statement on arrests or an investigation. Residents quoted by called on the government, the Inspector General of Police and NAIMOS leadership to investigate.
