A notorious illegal mining operator, Iddrisu Zakari, widely known as “Yaayaa,” has been arrested in a sting operation after allegedly attempting to bribe investigators to free his accomplices and halt a probe into his activities, officials said on Monday.
The operation, conducted by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Squad (NAIMOS), took place on Monday evening at Bonsu in the Eastern Region.
According to authorities, Zakari was apprehended after agreeing to meet undercover operatives posing as intermediaries who had promised to “assist” him in influencing the investigation.
“He tried to negotiate his way out by offering inducements for the release of his men and to obstruct our ongoing investigations,” an official familiar with the operation told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The arrest followed a November 7 raid on one of Zakari’s illegal mining sites near Osino, where 32 Nigerien nationals and four Ghanaian guards armed with machetes were detained.
Zakari, described by security sources as one of the most influential figures in Ghana’s illicit gold trade, has been under surveillance for weeks.
He has since been handed over to the Ghana Police Service for further investigation.
Illegal small-scale mining — locally known as galamsey — has long posed environmental and security challenges in Ghana, Africa’s top gold producer, with authorities intensifying operations to curb the practice.
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