A Notorious Land guard, Ibrahim Mashahudu Aka One Million, who has been terrorizing residents of Teacher Mante in the Ayensuano District of the Eastern Region, has been remanded into Police Custody by the Kyebi Circuit Court.
The accused, and one of his accomplices, Sampson Lartey, 22 a payload operator have been charged with causing unlawful damage and conspiracy to commit crime.
“One Million” was arrested two weeks ago when he stormed Kyebi Police station to facilitate a bail for his Payload operator who had earlier stormed the factory site at Teacher Mante to stop the project.
The land was sold by the Okyenhene to an investor who was developing it into a factory.
The accused person, on his second appearance in Court, pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him. They were charged for using force, violence, or intimidation to prevent a lawful owner of the land from developing it. The said land belongs to Kingsley Egyiri and Rose Egyiri at Teacher Mante.
However, a State Attorney who filed the charges against the suspects pleaded with the court to remand to enable the Police hunt and arrest 15 other accomplices who are currently at large.
Even though the counsel for the accused persons pleaded for bail, the Judge declined and remanded the suspects to reappear before the court on 14th December 2021.
According to the prosecution, the complainant Kwame Adu, who resides at Tantra Hills, Accra, reported to the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia that his brother-in-law and his wife based in London acquired one acre of land at Teacher Mante to be used for a beverage Factory.
The Complainant said he then tipped sand and stones to the site to begin the project. In the process the workers raised a building to eight feet meant for a warehouse.
While the project was ongoing, one Amankwa of Accra claimed ownership of the land and was invited by Okyenhene but he refused to turn up.
The Prosecution continued that on 12th nobody, 2021, the ring leader of the land guard recruited the payload operator and many other land guards from Accra who came and ordered them to stop work. They further destroyed the existing structures.
The land guards numbering about fifteen (15) wielding cutlasses and other offensive weapons visited the site and used force, violence to intimidate the workers.
On several occasions, the land guards visited the site with unregistered motorcycles and a vehicle with registration No. GX-3189-20 to threaten the workers