It is intriguing the lingering level of official complicity in recurring fights to claim properties in elite residential areas, including the Cantonments and the Labone as well as Airport residential areas.
It was not so much of a surprise to residents when a property belonging to an Isaac Eshun, whose family, particularly his son Richard Eshun, had been in and out of Ghana for quite some time now.
The property, located at 13 Agostinho Neto road, Airport, was acquired half a century ago by Isaac Eshun from his employer, the Pioneer Tobacco Company, and for which documents are available, New Crusading Guide can reveal.
His son, Richard Eshun and the family have lived on the property continuously for the last 50 years, with Richard himself having occupied it for the last 16 years.
Richard avers that, after dad Eshun died on October 2020, a bailiff on March 24, from the Tema High Court, arrived unceremoniously to serve an order that gave immediate possession of the property to one Anane Daniels.
By a default judgement the judge had ruled that Anane Daniels was the owner of the home. Strangely, the family had never been in court over any property or been served with any notice of the case in Tema.
It appeared that somebody was deliberately playing games because, to obtain default judgement and try to use that to forcibly take back lawful property, the processes must be very, very transparent.
However, out of the blue. The family witnessed on several occasions, the self-acclaimed owner, Anane Daniels, a certain Kweku Addy and several land guards attacking the property, and removing the entire roof and every door in the house.
Residents and eyewitnesses, corroborating the story, said most of time that they did this, they left before the police arrived. On one occasion, about eight of them were arrested and taken to the Airport police station.
When the family filed a complaint for stolen property and destruction, the police took their statements and later released them, with no charges.
“On several occasions, the Airport police have stood by, while these people destroyed our home,” a worried Richard Eshun to New Crusading Guide.
He added that on May Day, Anane Daniels again came to the property with about 30 land guards and completely demolished what remained of the property and other valuables, including records, inside it.
“After stealing out property and ransacking the house, they brought a bulldozer to demolish the house. While all this was going on, there were four armed airport police officers on the property, talking on their phones. The regional police have frequently come to the property to clear the way for attacks on the property by arresting security guards we hired just before and after attacks, he explained.
According to him, on May 5, the judge in the Tema High Court affirmed his decision to give possession to Anane Daniels.
His, lawyers have however filed notice of an appeal of that decision and also a request for stay execution pending the appeal.
Anane Daniels, without any documents, had told the court that in 1983, which was 40 years ago, a man called Maxwell Ntim bought the property from the late father. They could not even tell the court who this man was and whether he is dead or alive.
Anane further said an uncle of his currently living abroad bought the property from that still unidentifiable Maxwell Ntim. They further lied to the court that they have lived on the property since 1995, which is a lie by all accounts and which fact residents knew.
Indeed, this used to be state lands managed by the Lands Commission, so there is no confusion at the Lands Commission about who owns the property.
Richard insists that the last lease negotiated with my father expires on 2028. The Lands Commission has recently given us an extension to 2058.
It appears that this is the work of a cabal of lead grabbers who use the courts to obtain default judgements with dubious documents and then tried to use force to take over the property from the rightful owners, New Crusading Guide gathered.
