Two journalists from the Daily Graphic have reportedly been attacked by suspected illegal mining or galamsey thugs while on official assignment
According to a report published by the Daily Graphic on February 3, the attack on the two Daily Graphic journalists occurred amid an ongoing investigation into the scale of illegal mining activities in forest reserves within the Bekwai Forest District.
A field visit by the Daily Graphic last week revealed that armed youth continue to perpetrate environmental crimes, leaving behind degraded farmlands, polluted water bodies, destroyed forest cover and fractured ecosystems.
The journalists were part of a team moving from reserve to reserve to document the extent of destruction when they observed that seven out of the 13 forest reserves in the district had been affected by illegal mining to varying degrees.
The impacted reserves include Apamprama, Oda River, Supuma, Subin Shelterbelt, Denyau Shelterbelt, Jeni River and the Bosomtwe Range.
During the investigation, the journalists were physically attacked by suspected illegal miners while on the ground.
Efforts by the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response Team to assess damage to the Mmofrafadwen section of one of the reserves were met with fierce resistance, with the armed thugs reportedly firing sporadic gunshots to prevent officials from carrying out their duties. The Daily Graphic journalists were caught up in the confrontation while carrying out their reporting assignment.
The incident forms part of a worrying escalation of violence targeting enforcement officers and journalists involved in anti-galamsey operations.
On January 20, 2026, a National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) operative was shot during an operation in the Dormaa Central Municipality of the Ahafo Region, while one of the assailants was killed in the exchange of fire.
Earlier, in November 2025, a ten-member NAIMOS team operating at Hwidiem/Bronikrom in the Ahafo Region was attacked by a group of thugs reportedly led by a sitting Member of Parliament. The attackers forcibly freed arrested suspects, chased the task force from the scene and later laid siege to the Hwidiem Police Station, threatening to burn it down.
In another incident in November 2025, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) team and journalists were ambushed at Dadwene near Obuasi by armed miners dressed in black uniforms bearing “CID” markings.
That attack forced a high-speed retreat, resulting in a serious road accident near Afari, which left several journalists and officials injured.
