Court orders deletion of 21st Century Company's land registration in Gomoa Fetteh land dispute

The Court of Appeal in Accra has ruled in favor of deleting the name of the 21st Century Company from the records of the Central Regional Lands Commission, marking a pivotal moment in the 13-year-long land litigation concerning the Gomoa Fetteh Land.

According to a myjoyonline report, the legal battle dates back to September 2005 when the Chiefs of Gomoa Fetteh applied to the High Court in Cape Coast, resulting in a mandamus order demanding the registration of land documents belonging to the 21st Century Company and its sister companies, as well as documents pertaining to their customers.

Following the Lands Commission's failure to register the aforementioned lands, the chiefs filed a motion for contempt of court, leading to the parties negotiating terms of settlement before the court.

Although the Lands Commission published a notice in the Daily Graphic on June 18, 2020, indicating its intention to delete the land registration of affected individuals, the chiefs argue that the commission failed to act within the given 21-day notice period, prompting them to seek redress in court once again.

Presided over by Justice Poku-Acheampng, Justice Kyei Baffour, and Justice Archer, the Court of Appeal has now mandated the Lands Commission to delete the land registration related to portions of the Gomoa Fetteh lands.

Nana Abor Atta II, Twafohene of the Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Council and Chief of Gomoa Fetteh, shed light on the origins of the dispute, revealing that in the early 90s, the manager of 21st Century, Kofi Asmah, acquired 3,000 acres of land from the chiefs of Gomoa Fetteh for estate purposes.

However, an error by the Lands Commission led to the registration of over 12,000 acres of land for the company without the chiefs' knowledge.

Having fought tirelessly in court for the past 13 years, the chiefs of Gomoa Fetteh are hopeful that this ruling will bring about a resolution to the land dispute.

Nana Abor Atta II appealed to the Lands Commission to conduct thorough investigations before registering lands for individuals and estate companies to reduce the prevalence of land litigations in the area.

Nana Kwesi Quansah, Omankrado of Gomoa Fetteh, also called on the Inspector General of Police to address the behavior of certain Ghana Police Service personnel, urging them to refrain from employing a "rambo style of arrest" during their operations.

JoyNews reached out to the management of the 21st Century Company for comments following the press conference, but no response regarding the court's judgment has since been provided.

YNA/WA