Armed soldiers remove 15 seized excavators from Enchi Assembly despite court injunction

Fifteen excavators being held as exhibits in an ongoing illegal mining case were on Friday, July 10, removed from the premises of the Enchi District Assembly by armed military personnel, in an operation that has sparked fresh concerns over the enforcement of court orders in Ghana's fight against illegal mining.

The excavators were part of 35 heavy-duty machines seized during a major anti-galamsey operation in May 2025, when security agencies cracked down on illegal mining activities inside the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve in the Western North Region.

The equipment had remained in the custody of the Enchi District Assembly as investigations and court proceedings over the ownership of the machines and the alleged illegal mining activities continued.

Sources familiar with the incident said the military personnel arrived at the Assembly compound in broad daylight accompanied by 15 low-bed haulage trucks.

Witnesses indicated that the soldiers surrounded the impounded excavators before instructing Assembly officials to release the machines for transportation.

According to sources at the scene, the military officers stated that they were acting on "orders from above" before loading the excavators onto the waiting trucks and transporting them away from the premises.

The operation reportedly proceeded without any public explanation regarding the legal authority under which the excavators were released.

The excavators were confiscated during an anti-illegal mining operation targeting unauthorised mining activities within the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve, one of Ghana's protected forest reserves.

Investigators alleged that the mining activities caused significant environmental degradation within the reserve, with affected portions yet to be fully rehabilitated.

The seized machines have since remained central to investigations into the alleged destruction caused by illegal mining operations.

The removal of the excavators has drawn attention because the matter is currently before the Sefwi Wiawso High Court.

The concessionaire, Clean Jobs, has initiated legal proceedings concerning both the mining activities and the ownership of the excavators.

As part of the case, the High Court granted an interlocutory injunction directing that the excavators should not be released, transferred or disposed of until the substantive matter is determined.

The order was intended to preserve the status quo while the court considers the legal issues before it.

Despite the subsisting court injunction, armed military personnel reportedly entered the Enchi District Assembly premises and removed 15 of the excavators.

The circumstances surrounding the operation remain unclear, and it is not known whether any subsequent court order varied or overturned the earlier injunction before the machines were taken away.

Officials at the Assembly were reportedly instructed to allow the excavators to be removed, while no official statement had been issued at the time of reporting to explain the legal basis for the operation.

The incident is expected to intensify public scrutiny of the handling of illegal mining cases and the enforcement of judicial orders relating to anti-galamsey operations in Ghana.