Family drags AMA to court over parcel of land
The Joseph Ablorh Mills Family of Trom at James Town (Ngleshie Alata), Accra, has dragged the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to court to reclaim 142.21 hectares of land allegedly commandeered by the assembly without the family’s consent for the development of a sporting facility at Korle-Gonno.
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The Head of the Joseph Ablorh Mills Family, Nii Odartey Blankson-Mills, is asking the Land Division of the High Court to declare the plaintiff’s family as owners of the land in dispute.
Further orders for recovery of possession, damages for trespass, award of an order for perpetual injunction restraining the AMA and its agents from continuing to interfere with the land in dispute and any further costs the court might deem fit are also being sought for by the plaintiff.
The writ of summons, filed on the plaintiff’s behalf by Mr Bright O. Akwetey, a legal practitioner, is also pleading with the court to declare the AMA as a trespasser.
A statement of claim accompanying the writ of summons said the plaintiff owned the land in contention, which stretches from parts of James Town across the Korle Lagoon to Korle Gonno and beyond towards Chorkor.
“The land, which measures 351.42 acres, (142.21 hectares), was granted to the patriarch of the plaintiff’s family, the late Joseph Ablorh Mills of Trom, James Town, Accra, in 1893 by the James Town Stool by an indenture dated September 29, 1893,” it said.
The architectural view of the sports complex under construction
It noted that the AMA was undertaking some construction works along a portion of the land adjoining the Korle Lagoon, “which portion of land forms part of the plaintiff’s family land, without the knowledge and consent of plaintiff’s family”.
“All efforts by plaintiff’s family to stop the defendant from developing the land have proved futile, as defendant, in blatant abuse of its office, has forcibly accelerated the construction works on the land.
“Unless ordered by this court, the defendant will forcibly continue with the construction works on the land, to the detriment of the family of the plaintiff, without the consent of his family,” the plaintiff added, and accordingly prayed the court to grant its prayer.