Atomic Energy Boss, 30 Others In Police Custody

The Executive Director of Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Prof. Edward Akaho has openly admitted to PeaceFM that he authorized security personnel from the commission to demolish and set fire to property belonging to Anaina International Limited on a disputed piece of land at Dome-Kwabenya.

Anaina is a wholly-owned Ghanaian company but its construction team is led by some Chinese expatriates.

The GAEC and the private company Anainia, are both laying claim to a 164 acre piece of land at Dome-Kwabenya.

The security officials from the GAEC pulled down edifices including warehouses, make-shift housing structures for its construction workers and set fire to vehicles, water reservoir and some construction equipment such as excavators, wheelbarrows and a generator plant amongst others.

So huge was the fireball that personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service in Madina had to be called in to douse the flames.

Anaina intends undertaking a massive project that promises to employ more than 50,000 indigenous Ghanaians. The project, according to its handlers, is for the state-of-the-art International Business District (IBD) and will see to the setting up of offices, businesses and residential apartments, five-star hotel and casinos, supermarkets, departmental stores, recreational facilities and parks, banks, bus stations and a host of other infrastructure on a 700,000 square meter land in the Legon-Atomic enclave area.

Handlers of the project say it would cost not less than US$500million to complete and have thus brought in some Chinese investors to partner them in its execution.

But the project has for some time now stalled following complaints by the commission that the land in question belongs them and have consistently warned that the construction of apartments, hotels or warehouses could pose serious problems for emergency evacuations in event of any nuclear accident or incident.

Prof Akaho said he even personally impressed on the National Security to intervene by pulling down the fence wall of Anaina about two weeks when he realized that they (Anaina) had begun demolished other people's structures along the road indicating that they really meant business.

Matters however came to a head this morning when the GAEC took the law into their own hands and went on a demolishing spree to force them off their encroached property.

“We must exercise control over this land because we want to make sure that people do not build very close to nuclear facilities. Ghana has signed international conventions and if there is any accident we have to do evacuations. We have to protect the public and the environment so we cannot allow any encroachment in any form. I’ve said it many times that it is only a country where people do not respect laws that will allow a foreigner to build hotels, build apartments and shopping mall very close to a nuclear facility.

"This kind of thing can never happen in China. I have not taken the law into my own hands.…What happened was that after the demolition, the Chinese came back again and we did what is mopping up and this is exactly what we have done…we have done an excellent job. I’ve no regrets. And believe me if people come to this land so many times, we shall drive them away because any violation would an embarrassment to this country…If for example they are saying that I’ve no right to exercise control over this land…I’m prepared to resign. I don’t do things just because people have influences anywhere; I do things by my conscience,” the GAEC Boss told the media in front of the Atomic District Police Station.

Moments after the interview, he was whisked away to the police Headquarters together with about 30 workers of the commission.

The Atomic District Police Commander, DSP Afriyie Ameyaw explained that Prof. Akaho has been invited to assist in investigations.

He, however, condemned the act, saying the GAEC should have used the appropriate channel to fight for their right instead of taking the law into their own hands.