Residents of Nma Dzorn and Adjiringano in the Adenta Municipality of the Greater Accra Region are living in fear owing to constant threats from land guards who have taken over the area.
The land guards alleged to be hired thugs of an estate developer operating in the area, go about harassing residents, demolishing peoples’ buildings and forcefully taking over land and properties belonging to individuals in the area on daily basis.
According to residents, not even formal complaints to the Ghana Police Service have deterred the thugs from carrying out their dastardly acts as they are said to have the backing of some big men in society.
Mostly armed-to- the- teeth, the land guards invade individuals developing their properties in the area, beat the workers up and in some cases; demolish properties without any authorization.
The constant harassment and molestation by the land guards have left most residents in the area fretting as they are subjected to the tooting of gun shots on daily basis.
Speaking in an interview during a visit to the area, the Operations Manager of Villa Posillipo Ghana Limited, the company which has authorization by the Gborbu Wulomo-Shitse to guard and protect lands at Santeo and the Borteman (Trasaco) enclave, Niibi Ofori Quaye, said for more than two years now, the people of the area had been subjected to harassment by the land guards.
He noted that most of the residents had become helpless because several complaints to the police have yielded no results.
Niibi Quaye, who is also the direct uncle to the Paramount Chief of the Nungua Traditional Area said, on January 12, 2022, the Nma-Dzorn Mantse, Nii Bormnai Alarbi Petenpeh III, in the company of the Dzaase-tse of Klagon, Nii Bortey, one Pastor Wisdom Tarkum and one other who had gone to visit his land in the area, were allegedly accosted by the land guards and beaten up.
“Nii Petenpeh reported the incident to the police and some members of the group were arrested but were released same day and nothing has been done about the issue to date. Even though a petition on the matter has been sent to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), nothing has been done about the situation yet,” he said.
Niibi Quaye said Topkins Ghana Limited owned by Benjamin Danso sometime in 2002 legitimately acquired about 62 acres of land in the area from the Nungua Stool.
However, the acquisition of the land subsequently became a subject of litigation between Topkins Limited and Empire Builders, owners of Trasaco Estates.
He said Topkins won the case at the Supreme Court and the Nungua Traditional Council which was a party to the suit was declared the lawful owners to the lands in that enclave.
Niibi Quaye alleged that Mr Danso had taken advantage of the judgment by the Supreme Court and was taking over lands and properties outside the 62 acres it legally acquired, including 25-acre land adjoining Trasaco, off the Tema Motorway, “even though it did not form part of its 62 acres.”
Niibi Quaye said the Nungua Traditional Council would employ all the legitimate means under its authority to defend what was legitimately theirs.
Meanwhile, despite assurances by Mr Danso to provide his side of the story on Tuesday when contacted on Sunday, he did not pick up his phone after several calls were placed to him on Monday and Tuesday.
Even though he denied the allegations on phone, he promised to provide this reporter the necessary documents to support his claims but had not done so at the time of going to press.
