Nana Poku Bosompim, the Western Regional Head of Forestry Commission, has revealed that illegal miners, commonly known as galamseyers, are using juju to fortify themselves.
According to Nana Poku Bosompim, galamseyers are using “spiritually fortified” armed groups who believe they are immune to bullets and machetes, making the fight against illegal mining even more challenging.
He further revealed that sometimes, during an operation, the galamseyers outnumber them, and they sometimes have to retreat to save their lives.
Nana Poku Bosompim further noted that galamseyers often receive alerts of their operations before they get there.
Speaking on TV3’s Key Points, Nana Poku Bosompim detailed, “Oh yes, exactly. There are times they get information and mobilise, bringing their armed groups and their own security. You see heavily built men; I don’t even know where they come from or whether they are Ghanaians. They look well fortified and have weapons. We’ve seen their masks, pump actions, and some AK-47 rifles with them. These are the guys who come with heavy so-called spiritual fortifications”.
“In fact, if you see the talisman and other objects in their hands, they look so fierce and not open to any dialogue. Sometimes their sheer numbers alone are enough to make us retreat, because we move in a convoy of about 15 to 20 officers and meet 800 to 1,000 people standing there waiting for us. Sometimes it’s better to retreat, because we believe retreat is another phase of war,” he explained.
He further added, “I don’t know where they come from, but all of them are in dreadlocks; they look so fierce. They seem to wear dirty clothes with fugu, charms and talismans all over their bodies. It is believed that when you shoot these people, they may not be harmed. They are said to be fortified against gunshot wounds, machete attacks and the like”.
“There was one incident where one of them was arrested and resisted. About five of my men could not even pull him down until someone told us the talisman he was wearing was in his singlet.
“Can you imagine? A singlet. And when we looked closely at it, we saw some Arabic writing all over it. You wouldn’t notice unless you looked carefully. Someone asked us to cut it. So we cut through the singlet, and that was how the man became weak and was arrested,” he added.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the Cabinet has approved the Public Tribunals Bill.
According to John Mahama, the approval of the Public Tribunals Bill is aimed at fast-tracking the prosecution of galamsey cases.
President Mahama explained that the Public Tribunals Bill will strengthen the country’s resolve to clamp down on galamsey activities.
He highlighted that the measure forms part of the government’s broader efforts to curb environmental destruction and protect Ghana’s forests and water bodies.
Speaking during a meeting with the Christian Council at Jubilee House on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, John Mahama stated, “What the Cabinet did was to pass the Public Tribunals Bill so that we will push issues related to illegal mining to the public tribunals. They will adjudicate faster and ensure that justice is seen to be done”.
“If this comes into effect, we will be able to process cases against illegal mining even quicker,” he added.
Watch the video below:
Galamseyers are using “spiritually fortified” armed groups who believe they are immune to bullets and machetes, making the fight against illegal mining even more challenging.
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) November 22, 2025
– Nana Poku Bosompim (Western Regional Head, Forestry Commission) reveals#TheKeyPoints #TV3GH pic.twitter.com/tLrs8hQOq2