Amamoley residents appeal for help against land guards
Some residents of Amamoley community in the Ga North District of the Greater Accra Region have called on the Police and social intervention groups to come to their aid as they are being terrorised by land guards within the community.
They explained that series of such attacks were carried out by a group of land guards known as the “Snatch and sell land guards”, leaving them in terror.
Advertisement
The residents say pieces of lands purchased over long periods of 12 to 50 years, with documentation, land title registration and some under registration, were violently taken from them by the land guards.
The residents said they only came to purchase lands in the community and do not know the disharmony in the chieftaincy administration, urging the acclaimed custodians to settle their differences.
Victims
One of the victims, William Odoi, said he was operating a poultry farm on a parcel of land which he purchased in 2002 with title, but said structures he had put up on the land were demolished by the land guards.
“I had a store room for feed and poultry equipment, a structure harbouring my caretaker, a fishpond and two locally made containers all demolished by the land guards. The case is currently under investigation at the Property Fraud unit at the police headquarters,” he said.
Another victim, Gad Agyako Osafo, who bought his land in 1984, registered with tittle, said he sustained cutlass wounds from the land guards on his land.
“My Medicinal Plant Garden financed by German donors got broken into by these land guards, pulled down an over 500-year-old baobab tree, confiscated a water borehole I had drilled for GH¢9,000 and chased my caretakers away. My case is also pending at the property fraud unit under investigation,” he added.
One more victim, Mr Kofi Safo, recounted how he bought and filled a valley in 2011, got it registered in 2013, fenced the land and later received a call that the land guards had broken into his fence and sold the land.
Traditional authority
A reverend, Jonathan Oppong, also gave a narration of how the land guards invaded his church premises and pulled down his wall and other structures, although he had possessed the land for over 30 years.
The Chief of Amamoley, Nii Tettey Commey, confirmed the stories when contacted and indicated that the land guards were from Ablekuma.
He said he has since placed an injunction on their activities, stressing that Amamoley lands belonged to Amamoley and that Ablekuma had no grounds to cross Olebu, the neighbouring town to come and snatch lands at Amamoley.
He appealed to relevant authorities to be aware of the happenings in the area and called for them to come to the aid of the residents.
However, when contacted, the Family Head of Nii Larbie We of Ablekuma, Nii Ahinquasro Baddoo, said the family held a judgment on the Amamoley lands which granted them the authority to take possession of unoccupied lands inside Amamoley.