The death toll from the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) clash with residents of Manso Keniago in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region has risen to six, with 15 others sustaining injuries.
The clash is said to have stemmed from a disagreement over how excavators seized during an anti-illegal mining operation in the community should be transported.
According to initial reports, some residents and traditional authorities opposed the task force’s decision to move the seized equipment through the community using the tarred road.
Reports suggest the residents insisted that the excavators should be conveyed on low-bed trailers instead.
However, the disagreement subsequently escalated into a confrontation between the residents and NAIMOS personnel, leaving six people dead and 15 others injured.
Following the incident, Nana Obeng Mensah Ababio II, the Domi-Keniago Chief, has called for justice for the victims and demanded that those responsible be held accountable.
According to the Chief, NAIMOS initiated the violence by firing first and challenged NAIMOS officials to prove their claims.
Speaking in a video shared on X, Nana Obeng Mensah Ababio II stated, “NAIMOS issued a statement claiming that my people attacked them first. It’s a lie. I am sitting on the gods’ stool, so I can’t lie. NAIMOS personnel attacked my people first.”
“I want to put it on record that residents of Manso Keniago did not attack NAIMOS first. It was NAIMOS officials who attacked them first. If what they are saying is true, they should come and take an oath. I am backed by the gods, and I cannot lie,” he said.
The Manso Keniago chief revealed that he became alarmed after seeing an excavator being moved from the area, prompting him to engage the security personnel who had accompanied the operation, adding that he later saw police officers and soldiers at the scene as efforts were made to engage the team.
Meanwhile, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, the spokesperson for the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), has defended the task force following the deaths of three people during a clash at Manso Keniago in the Ashanti Region.
According to Paa Kwesi Schandorf, NAIMOS personnel were forced to defend themselves after a mob was hell-bent on attacking them during an operation in the area.
He argued that the deaths of three people during a clash at Manso Keniago resulted from an act of self-defence by the task force.
Paa Kwesi Schandorf revealed that NAIMOS initially fired warning shots in an attempt to disperse the crowd and de-escalate the situation; however, the group remained determined to attack the personnel, forcing them to respond in self-defence.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Upfront on November 11, 2026, Schandorf stated, The task force initially fired warning shots to disperse them, to de-escalate the situation, but they were determined, hell-bent and insistent on exacting on the NAIMOS task force.
And that is what compelled NAIMOS, under the circumstances, in the interest of self-defence, to deter them. That is how come three, unfortunately, have lost their lives. Two NAIMOS personnel, as we speak, are currently injured”.
Schandorf disclosed that the two injured NAIMOS personnel were receiving medical treatment following the confrontation.
He stressed that the task force resorted to force in response to the alleged attack on its personnel.
Kojo Danquah has arrived at the NDC headquarters for vetting as an aspirant for the position of Deputy National Communications Officer. https://t.co/EDMjumxd8i
— GHnow (@ghnow_) November 12, 2026
