A routine inspection at a large-scale mining site in Gbane in the Upper East Region turned into a life-threatening ordeal after a team of Minerals Commission inspectors and mine managers from Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited encountered hostile illegal miners deep underground.
The inspection team had descended into the tunnels of the Chinese-owned mining operation to carry out safety checks and investigate a recent incident in which smoke had engulfed part of the mine. However, their mission was abruptly interrupted when they stumbled upon scores of illegal miners actively scavenging for blasted gold ore.
Attempts to get the intruders to leave were met with hostility, according to Mine Manager, Firibu Salia. “We encountered several groups of illegal miners, including young boys. We spoke to them, but instead, we were told to back off. One of them challenged us, and then a loud gunshot rang out,” Salia recalled. “We were clearly not safe and had to abandon the inspection and return to the surface.”
The gunfire, believed to be a warning shot from the illegal miners, sent the inspection team scrambling for safety and left many visibly shaken by the encounter.
Earl International has expressed growing frustration with the increasingly brazen and dangerous incursions by illegal miners into its operational zones—particularly at Shaft 4, which company officials say has been overrun.
“The illegal miners are operating freely across all levels of the shaft. It often feels like they’ve taken over the mine,” Salia lamented.
Just hours before the inspection, a separate incident had seen 42 illegal miners trapped underground after being caught in smoke from a controlled blast. A swift rescue operation by the company’s private security and emergency personnel averted the disaster, saving the miners’ lives.
Albert Azongo, Assistant Public Relations Officer for Earl International Group, confirmed that the inspection was partly to investigate that near-miss incident when the unexpected armed confrontation occurred. “The Minerals Commission officials were there to investigate how the smoke incident happened. Unfortunately, their presence triggered another potentially fatal situation.”
The mining company says the persistent invasion of illegal miners poses serious operational and safety threats—not only to their employees and assets but also to the illegal miners themselves.
Authorities are expected to intensify security interventions in the area as the standoff between large-scale mining operations and illegal miners continues to escalate.
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