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DOME KENIAGO IN BLOODSHED:SIX REPORTED DEAD,SEVERAL INJURED AS MILITARY OPERATION TURNS VIOLENT
Residents demand urgent presidential intervention as alleged gunfire during NAIMOS anti-galamsey operation leaves community traumatised; chief reportedly assaulted and one victim allegedly loses limb.
A routine anti-illegal mining operation in Dome Keniago in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region has reportedly degenerated into a deadly confrontation between residents and military personnel suspected to be members of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), leaving six people reportedly dead, several others injured and one person allegedly amputated.
The disturbing incident, which reportedly occurred at about 1:30pm on Wednesday, November 11, 2026,has plunged the mining community into shock,anger and mourning,with residents demanding immediate investigations into what they describe as an excessive use of force by the security personnel.
Preliminary accounts suggest that the confrontation erupted over the movement of an excavator reportedly seized during an anti-illegal mining operation in the area.
EXCAVATOR DISAGREEMENT TRIGGERS DEADLY CLASH
According to eyewitness accounts, tensions reportedly heightened when some chiefs and residents challenged the security personnel’s decision to move the seized excavator along a tarred road.
The residents were said to have raised concerns that transporting the heavy-duty equipment on the road could cause damage, subsequently proposing that it be conveyed using a low-bed truck.
However,what initially appeared to be a disagreement over the transportation of the excavator allegedly escalated into a violent confrontation after the suggestion reportedly angered some of the personnel.
Eyewitnesses further alleged that the situation deteriorated rapidly when gunshots rang out, sending residents fleeing for their lives as bullets reportedly struck several people.
The reported scale of casualties has raised serious concerns about the circumstances that led to the use of firearms during an operation intended to combat illegal mining.
DOME KENIAGO CHIEF REPORTEDLY ASSAULTED
The Chief of Dome Keniago, Nana Obeng Mensah Ababio, was also reportedly assaulted after attempting to intervene and appeal to the personnel over their decision to move the excavator along the tarred road.
His whereabouts following the confrontation remained unclear, with conflicting accounts suggesting that he was either being held at the palace or had gone into hiding following alleged threats to his life.
The Assembly Member for the Dome Keniago Electoral Area, Charles Oduro, also reportedly fled the scene for his safety as tensions escalated.
In an account of the incident, Mr. Oduro confirmed that several gunshots had been fired during the confrontation, creating an atmosphere of fear and making it dangerous for residents to venture outdoors.
He explained that residents had contacted him with reports of deaths and injuries, although he was yet to move out to independently establish the full extent of the casualties.
RESIDENTS DEMAND MAHAMA’S INTERVENTION
The incident has triggered calls for urgent intervention from President John Dramani Mahama, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the leadership of NAIMOS.
Residents are demanding an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting, the reported deaths and injuries,as well as the alleged assault on their traditional leader.
They insist that the fight against illegal mining must not become a justification for the indiscriminate use of firearms or actions that endanger the lives of innocent residents.
They are further calling for anyone found responsible for unlawful conduct to face the full rigours of the law.
NAIMOS YET TO RESPOND
Meanwhile, NAIMOS had not issued an official statement on the reported incident as of the time of filing this report.
The reported death toll of six, alleged amputation, circumstances surrounding the chief’s whereabouts and the precise sequence of events leading to the shooting remain independently unverified.
The incident is expected to intensify public scrutiny of the conduct of security personnel deployed to combat illegal mining, particularly regarding the protection of civilians and respect for traditional authority during enforcement operations.
As the community awaits answers, the overriding concern remains the need for an urgent, impartial investigation, accountability and measures to prevent a recurrence of such a tragic incident.
