The Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team of the Ghana police service has swooped and arrested ten land guards and labourers at Pokuase, a suburb of Accra for encroaching on lands belonging to the Otublohum traditional area.
The arrest by the Greater Accra Regional Police Command was in responds to petitions and numerous complaints by the Boundary Chief of the Otublohum traditional area about the nefarious activities of the hoodlums.
Reports indicate that the arrested individuals who were allegedly working under the direction of one Mr. Tamale from Abola Piam in Accra had arrived at the Pokuase site equipped with excavators and other heavy-duty vehicles.
The group, our source said, have been terrorizing and attacking residents of Pokuase and its environs, after encroaching on the more than 500acre land.
Nii Dodoo Akoto Oyedieye I, Krontihene of Pokuase, addressed the media after the arrests on Friday, pledging to restore order in the traditional area and deal decisively with individuals involved in such illegal activities.
Nii Dodoo elaborated that in 1947, fourteen families from the traditional area ceded 532 acres of land to the government with the explicit purpose of constructing a piggery.
However, he stated that the government did not follow through with this plan and instead utilized parts of the land to establish facilities for the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. (CSIR).
Nii Dodoo further asserted that, based on the amended Legislative Instrument (LI) 2378 – 2019, the government was obligated to return the land to its original allodial owners.
He argued that this reversion was due because fifty years had passed since the land was acquired, and the government had not used it for the originally intended piggery project.
Expanding on this, Nii Dodoo stated that the allodial owners had also unequivocally rejected the government’s proposal to use the land for an affordable housing project.
He emphasized that the previous Akufo-Addo administration had failed to engage the fourteen families who originally provided the land to the government.
“The families were unanimous in their response when then Minister of Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, engaged the families and told us about their intention of using the land for affordable housing project in 2023.
“Government should follow the law and return the land to the original owners and not dabble in controversies,” Nii Dodoo stressed.
Nii Dodoo stated that following the new government’s assumption of office in January 2025, the fourteen families opted to withdraw the land dispute from the courts and instead pursue an amicable settlement through direct engagement with the new administration.
Nii Dodoo explained that during their engagement with the new government, Mr. Tamale and his group unexpectedly emerged, claiming to be the original owners of the land.
He emphasized that this claim was unfounded, as Mr. Tamale’s group was not among the fourteen families who had originally ceded the land to the government in 1947 and had subsequently received compensation for it.
The fourteen families include, Nii Dodo Kobla, Nii Nakwa II, Nii Kwaku Kwadjan, Nii Amu Ankra, Nii Odie Kojo, Nii Kpakpo Oti, D.K.B. Mensah, .M.D.A Ankra, R. Thomas Dodoo, Robert, Mangus Ankrah, Madam Ayikaiyeley Thompson, Benjamin Abotchie Ntreh, Mrs. Virginia Pappoe and Madam Adjuah Nyarko.
The Ghana Police Service is currently taking the necessary steps to prepare the arrested individuals for their appearance in court.
