By Alex Boye
Information gathered by the New Crusading Guide reveals that some Police Officers, acting on the instruction of the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP George Alex Mensah, have supervised the demolition of a multimillion dollar state of the art story building owned by Musteck Engineering Limited at Tesano in Accra.
The action by the police has been condemned by well-meaning Ghanaians, describing it as awful. This is based on the fact that the Police is seen as a law enforcement agency and not a property destroying agency. The act is said to have stalled the operations of the company forcing it to send all of its employees numbering over one hundred home.
Sources say police came to the premises of the company without any legal document backing their action. They used their power to undertake the demolition exercise without any legal backing.
Speaking to the New Crusading Guide in an interview, a staff of Musteck Engineering, Shadrack Okata described the action by the police as unlawful and unfortunate. He said the conduct of the Police has been reported to their superiors and would be followed up to its conclusion.
“We acquired the land legally to operate in a bid to help address the rising unemployment rate in the country. The aim was to create jobs for the youth and so we find this action of the Police as bad and unprofessional . the Police operate to protect properties and ensure that there is law and order and I don’t know why they will go contrary to that”” he stated.
a petition sent to the Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service by Musteck Engineering, it stated that “our client acquired the in question from the onamorkor adain family per a lease dated 22nd April 2010 executed between the Onamorkor Adain Family and our client. A copy of the said lease is attached hereto and marked ’A’ for your perusal”.
The petition also stated that, before our client purchased the said parcel of land , he conducted a search at the lands valuation commission which indicated that a judgment plotted in favour of the Onamorkor Adain Family in relation to the said land hence he went ahead to purchase the said land.
“Upon being granted the said land as aforementioned, our client commenced a storey building thereon. Indeed this building was being constructed as and when our client was able to gather some funds but, throughout the period of this construction, there was no let or hindrance from any quarters” the petition also indicated.
The petition further stated that; “After the ground floor was decked work started on the first floor thereof again without any let or hindrance. Photograph showing some part of the work on the building is attached hereto and marked as “B’ for your perusal”.
In the petition stated that, “Just a few days ago while workers were on the site working, they saw some persons who were accompanied by some police personnel’s enter the site and started demolishing the building of our client with bulldozer”.
“As per our instructions the persons did not only demolish the building structure on the land but they also destroy all the building material including blocks, sand, iron rods and all the wood which were all piled on the land for the construction of the building” the petition also indicated.
All attempts to speak with the greater Accra regional police command proves futile. Stay tune whilst we continue to get the side of the police.