News
Take over investigation into attacks on NAIMOS Director and team- IGP directs CID
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has directed the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters to take over investigations into the attack on the Director of Operations of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and his team by thugs at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region.
Against this backdrop, the Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, who is alleged to have incited the mob and obstructed the NAIMOS team has been invited to assist ongoing investigation into the incident.
Preliminary investigation has established that on Saturday,November 1,2025, the NAIMOS Director and his team intercepted illegal miners operating near Bronikrom in the Ahafo Region and arrested some suspects.
Exhibits retrieved from them include a side- hang bag containing one (1) Smith & Wesson pistol, two (2) pistol magazines, twenty- one (21) rounds of 9mm ammunition, an unregistered Range Rover vehicle, an unregistered Toyota RAV4 vehicle and several mobile phones.
While the team were preparing to hand over the suspects to the Hwidiem Police Station, the MP reportedly arrived with a group of men and demanded their release.
When his demand was refused, the group forcibly removed the suspects’ handcuffs and chased the NAIMOS team from the scene.
A mob numbering about 600, allegedly incited by the MP, later besieged the Hwidiem Police Station demanding the release of the miners and seized vehicles.
The crowd vandalized the Director’s vehicle, damaged parts of the police station, and threatened to set it ablaze. Reinforcement teams from the Ahafo Regional Command were deployed to restore order and prevent further destruction.
Calm was eventually restored through the joint efforts of the police, the military, and the Zongo Chief of Hwidiem, who helped mediate the situation and facilitate the safe evacuation of the NAIMOS team.
The Chief’s vehicle was damaged during the process, but no injuries were reported.
Mrs Patience Antonio, a Child and Family Development Advocate, has called for a national campaign to reduce the growing reliance on breast milk substitutes among nursing mothers in Ghana.
According to Mrs Antonio, scientific evidence shows that breastfeeding improves a child’s emotional stability, boosts intelligence, strengthens the immune system, and provides long-term health benefits. She made these remarks in an interview with The Spectator in Accra last week, emphasizing the importance of breastfeeding for a child’s overall development.
She explained that breastfeeding is not just a biological act of feeding but a key emotional and developmental bridge between mother and child. She also highlighted the need for the recommended six-month maternity leave period to ease the pressure on mothers to return to work prematurely.
“Breastfeeding creates intimacy and trust. It assures the baby of love and security, which becomes the foundation for their emotional health,” Mrs Antonio noted, warning that abandoning exclusive breastfeeding could have long-term implications on children’s social and emotional wellbeing.
Consequently, she called for a minimum of five months of fully paid maternity leave for Ghanaian mothers to enable effective breastfeeding, bonding, and healthier child development. She also urged workplaces to implement family-friendly policies, including private spaces for breastfeeding, flexible working arrangements for nursing mothers, and stronger support systems for new parents.
Mrs Antonio further encouraged families and society to actively support mothers during breastfeeding, stressing that many women struggle due to lack of assistance at home or the pressure to return to work too soon. She emphasized, “If we want a healthier, emotionally stable generation, then we must make breastfeeding a priority and support mothers to do it without stress.”
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Spectator
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The Nanvili Community School in the Mion District of the Northern Region is facing severe infrastructural challenges, affecting teaching and learning for pupils in the area.
The school, which serves five surrounding communities with a total of 58 pupils, has deteriorated to the extent that many children have stopped attending classes. Poor classroom conditions and the lack of desks have made teaching and learning difficult. During a visit to the school, the gate-free classrooms were found filled with goat and sheep droppings.
During the rainy season, both teachers and pupils are often cut off from the school due to bad roads and flooding. Teaching activities are frequently suspended for weeks, negatively affecting academic performance.
The Assemblyman for the area, Mr. Dawuni Mutawakil, expressed concern, noting that the situation is worrying since these pupils are expected to compete with their counterparts in urban areas who have access to better facilities. He added that due to limited space, classes have been merged, with pupils from Primary One and Two, Three and Four, and Five and Six sharing the same classrooms.
The Chief of Nanvili, Abu Kassim, also appealed to the government and non-governmental organisations to come to the aid of the community. He emphasized that the current state of the school discourages children from nearby communities from attending.
Both the Chief and Assemblyman have called for urgent intervention to improve infrastructure and provide furniture for the pupils to ensure quality education for children in the Nanvili area.
By Geoffrey Buta, Nanvili, Northern Region
Spectator
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