The Forestry Commission has arrested 21 people—11 Chinese nationals and 10 Ghanaians—in a major intelligence-led anti-illegal mining operation inside the Yakombo Forest Reserve in the Savannah Region.
The swoop, conducted on December 2, 2025, involved 51 highly trained personnel, including forest guards from the Bole and Buipe Forest Districts and three Rapid Response Teams of the Forest Services Division.
The suspects were rounded up in Compartments 50 and 51 of the reserve, near Tuntumba in the Bole-Bamboi District—an area identified as a hotspot for destructive illegal mining activities.
Arrested Suspects
Chinese nationals:
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; Wu Yujie, 24.
Ghanaian nationals:
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; Saaka Yakubu, 22.
Equipment Seized
The team also impounded heavy machinery believed to have been used for large-scale illegal mining operations, including:
- One Toyota Hilux
- Two Great Wall pick-up vehicles
- Three Howo tipper trucks
- One Man Diesel low-bed truck carrying an excavator
All seized equipment has been sent to the Mole National Park under the Wildlife Division for safekeeping.
The suspects have been handed over to the Damongo Regional Police Command for further investigations and possible prosecution.
About Yakombo Forest Reserve
Established in 1974, the Yakombo Forest Reserve is Ghana’s largest, covering approximately 1,210 km². It is a critical ecological zone now threatened by persistent illegal mining activities.
Source: paqmediagh/Peter Quao Adattor
