The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has strongly condemned the attack on the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), allegedly led by the Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo.
Reports indicate that as the NAIMOS team prepared to hand over arrested illegal miners to the Hwidiem Police Station following an operation at an illegal mining site, the MP allegedly arrived at the scene with a group and demanded that the suspects be released.
When the request was denied, the police said, the mob chased the NAIMOS team from the area. A group of about 600 people, allegedly incited by the MP, later besieged the Hwidiem Police Station, demanding the release of the arrested miners.
In a statement issued in Accra and signed by its National President, Prof. Vera O. Fiador, and National Secretary, Dr. Samuel Kingsford Seglah, on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, UTAG described the incident as “an affront to the rule of law and a direct assault on Ghana’s collective struggle against the destructive galamsey menace.”
The Association said it was deeply troubling that such an act could emanate from a public official entrusted with upholding the law and advancing the national interest.
UTAG noted that the incident — which reportedly led to the unlawful release of persons arrested for illegal mining — reflected the entrenched political interference, impunity, and elite complicity that continue to undermine efforts to end illegal mining.
“Illegal mining has caused irreversible damage to Ghana’s water bodies, degraded vast tracts of arable land, and threatened public health and food security. As academics, researchers, and citizens committed to sustainable national development, we cannot remain silent in the face of this existential threat,” the statement said.
The Association called for an independent and transparent investigation into the attack and the release of the suspects, stressing that justice must be served without fear or favour.
UTAG also urged Parliament and political parties to publicly denounce acts that embolden environmental lawlessness and to demonstrate leadership by example.
The statement reaffirmed UTAG’s national advocacy campaign against galamsey, which mobilises over 7,000 university lecturers and researchers to promote scientific, legal, and civic interventions toward environmental restoration and good governance.
It further encouraged citizens, traditional authorities, and civil society groups to collaborate with state agencies to protect Ghana’s remaining ecological assets and ensure accountability.
“The fight against illegal mining is not a partisan contest but a moral and generational duty,” UTAG stressed, adding that the survival of Ghana’s rivers, forests, and communities is inseparable from the survival of the nation itself.
The Association concluded by urging all leaders — political, traditional, and institutional — to “rise above partisan interests and act decisively in defence of the environment, justice, and national dignity.”
