That some staff of Nastec Ghana Limited, including one of its directors, Christian Banini nursed bodily pains and wounds, after a near-death brutality they suffered in the hands of soldiers detailed to man the gate of a land under dispute between the Air Force Commander, Frank Hanson, and the private security company is no news now.
What is new is the same guards also cleaned the court possession inscription done by the court bailiff when the former had gone to enforce a possession order by the court, a fortnight ago.
The Nastec Ghana Limited staff had gone to post a writ of possession on the walls of the land at Cantonment, in Accra on 26th October, 2022, when the soldiers forcibly stopped the court staff from doing their work and when the court staff had left, the soldiers erased what had been posted and went ahead to brutalise innocent Nastec staff, leading to the hospitalization of one of them and severe injury to the others.
Consequently, the company petitioned the Chief of Staff to investigate and call to order the Air Force Commander whom the company say leaves as though he is above the laws of the country.
Below is the unedited petition addressed to the Chief of Staff:
The Chief Of Staff
Office Of The President
Flagstaff House, Accra
Petition Brutal Physical Assault, Intimidation And Forceful Denial Of Access To Nastec Lawfully Acquired Land Pursuant To Court Judgment Suit No. Ld/0546/2020 At Cantonments, Accra
Nastec Ghana Limited
Nastec Ghana Limited is a legally registered and licensed security company that operates under the laws of Ghana.
Nastec using the due process was granted a 50 years lease with respect to a piece of land at Cantonment, Accra effective 25th November, 2019. Having satisfied all conditions and requirements, the company sought to access the land and develop it according to its plan and programs.
Nastec in an attempt to access the land in February 2020, was forcibly prevented by the Ghana Air Force and their Commander, Officer Frank Hanson, which without any document or title made a de facto claim to the land.
The Commander and his Airforce staff intimidated and threatened Nastec staff with threats of death using their uniforms and guns to drive the Nastec staff from the land.
- Nastec therefore went to court and sued the Ghana Air Force and the Commander, the Attorney General and Lands Commission for the land and to prevent the Airforce from their illegal acts against Nastec.
The Lands Commission conceded that the Land lawfully belongs to Nastec Ghana Limited and withdrew from the matter. The court ordered an interlocutory injunction restraining the parties from entering the land during the pendency of the matter in court. The Airforce Commander taking advantage of the COVID lock-down defied the court orders, entered the land and constructed a small building on the land.
Nastec therefore cited the Airforce Commander for contempt in court. In court, the commander expressed remorse. In order not to bring the name of Ghana’s military into disrepute, after the Airforce Commander has expressed remorse, Nastec took down the contempt application after the Commander had redeemed himself by handing over the keys of the gate to land to the registrar of the court as ordered by the court.
The Commander and his Airforce were warned by the court not to repeat such an act again.
- The case has been in court over the years until 29th July, 2022 when the court finally ruled in favour of Nastec, i.e. the court ruled that the land lawfully belongs to Nastec and not the Airforce.
A writ of possession was issued by the High Court on 18th October, 2022 and subsequently, possession of the land was taken on 26th October, 2022 together with the Court Bailiff Felicia Lawunyo, Nastec Director Christian Banini, Staff, and the Police from Greater Accra Regional Command. The court bailiff wrote on the walls around the land (Possession taken by court order LD/0546/2020) in red color.
In the process of taking possession on that fateful day, some military men together with the air force commander, Frank Hanson came there and tried to stop the process. The policemen explained to them that they have an order from the High Court to take possession of the land for Nastec Ghana Limited.
The Airforce Commander then made phone calls to an unknown people, after which he and his men left the scene in a very angry and agitated mood. The police from the regional command and the court bailiff after executing their job, also left the scene.
After an hour’s time, Christian Banini, director of Nastec and Joachim Kportorwu (a.k.a Selassie), a staff of Nastec were on the land when the Airforce commander sent reinforcement of some armed military men about ten (10) in a pick-up to the land. They cleaned the court possession inscription written by the bailiff on the walls around the land.
They then physically attacked Christian and Selassie without any provocation, seized Christian’s phone and started beating him mercilessly, hitting him with their guns, their boots and anything they could lay their hands on and also brutally beat Selassie and dumped him at 37 Military Hospital, in a critical condition, on drips and also on oxygen. Christian was rushed to the police hospital, Cantonment for treatment. Christian after being treated has reported the matter at Cantonment Police Station for investigation.
This is totally unacceptable and a show of total disrespect and contempt of the court and its powers. The impression created by the Airforce staff and their Commander was that though the court had given the judgement on the land, they dare anybody to come on the land using the court judgement. The conduct of the Airforce Commander AVM Frank Hanson has been disrespectful of the laws of Ghana. He always either personally or through his soldiers’ distress by tearing court processes pasted on the wall of the land.
On 22nd October, 2022 when the court bailiff went to paste the writ of possession the walls of the land, he ordered his staff to tear it in a manner that shows that he was above the law. On 26th October, 2022 when possession was taken by the Court Staff, first he tried to forcibly stop the court staff from doing their work and when the court staff had left, he ordered his soldiers to erase it and went ahead to order the brutalization of innocent Nastec staff leading to the hospitalization of one of them and severe injury to the other. His conduct is disrespectful to the laws of Ghana and conterminous to the court.
He presents himself as being above the law and must be brought to order because he is bringing the name of the armed forces and the country Ghana into disrepute. Instead of protecting innocent Ghanaian citizens, he is constantly intimidating and brutalizing them even to the point of death as happened to Selassie yesterday 26th October, 2022.
I am therefore submitting this petition to your office for your intervention to ensure law and order and for Nastec to peacefully take possession of its land.
Sincerely,
Christian Banini
Director
