Dag Heward-Mills' Lighthouse Chapel cited for contempt of court

The Lighthouse Chapel International founded by Dr. Bishop Dag Heward-Mills has been cited for contempt of court.

In a 14-page document sighted by www.ghanaweb.com, a Koforidua High Court has served notice to the governing Board of Lighthouse Chapel for Contempt of court over a project the church is undertaking on a piece of land at Mampong Akuapem Amanfo near Tutu and Anagkazo Bible School in the Eastern Region.

Residents of Mampong-Akwapim in the Eastern Region particularly those in the Amanfo suburbs of Mampong Akuapem are up in arms against the local branch of Lighthouse Chapel International and Anagkazo Bible School of Dr Dag Heward Mills for blocking the major access roads that lead to Tutu Akwapim and other key areas of Mampong Akwapim including the Amanfo suburbs.

The blockage is to enable the church to construct a project on the piece of land.

Huge walls have been erected from the Broadcasting area in the Mampong town all the way into the mid of Tutu and blocked access to over nine key roads leading to Tutu Akwapim and several parts of Mampong Akwapim .

Residents say the operations of the church and the construction of the school has brought them untold hardships as they have been forced to painfully adjust to the situation.

According some of the residents, they are forced to do a long winding detour to the main road that leads to Accra when going to Tutu Akwapim, Medicas Hospital and several areas in Mampong instead of the short route from Mampong-Akwapim Amanfo area to Tutu Akwapim, and Medicas Hospital.

This according to them has led to the death of some residents because they could not be rushed to hospital early enough due to the long route they had to take.

They have described the move by the church as a great nuisance to residents and individuals who have plots of land in the area.

Some of the affected residents have complained bitterly over the frustrations they are going through since the blockage and taking over of the link and access roads by Lighthouse chapel.

They further disclosed that, the church destroyed their source of water and replaced it with a borehole, but they are unable to use the water from the borehole because it is multicoloured, smelly and unwholesome.

They revealed that Dr. Dag Heward-Mills is aware of the atrocity being perpetrated by his people but he is not doing anything about it though he has visited the project site on several occasions.

When public relations officer of the church Bishop Kwasi Ampofo was contacted for explanation in a phone call, he refused to speak to the issue unless our reporter who was on grounds for investigations Kwaku Ansah provided details of his staff ID and pictures on WhatsApp before he will comment on the above issues. But our reporter thought that, for his security, he could not have sent those information demanded by the PRO for the church.

MOTION ON NOTICE FOR ATTACHMENT FOR CONTEMPT (ORDER 50 OF Cl 47)

Please take notice that this Honorable Court will be moved by lsaac M Larbi, Esq Counsel for and on behalf of the Applicants herein praying for an order of Attachment of the Respondents herein and Committal to prison for Contempt of Court as per the grounds contained in the supporting affidavit AND FOR ANY FURTHER orders as this honourable court may deem fit.

AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT OF MOTION ON NOTICE FOR ATTACHMENT OF CONTEMPT

l, Rev. Eugene Ayeh Opoku of Accra in the Greater Accra Region of the Republic of Ghana make oath and say as follows:

That I am the Applicant herein and I depose to the averments herein on my own behalf and on behalf of all the other Applicants whose consent and authorization I have to do so.

That we the Applicants own various lands within the Mampong and Tutu Township at Akuapem in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

That the Respondents are officers of the Lighthouse Chapel International Church who are currently constructing a project at Mampong Akuapem.

That the Respondents Church in undertaking their construction has blocked all major access roads leading to our lands.

That they have also blocked private roads that some of the Applicants created to access their various lands in the area.

That the Respondent church has blocked access to our lands, and not only that have trespassed unto our lands, broke down pillars, cleared the lands, walled off the lands and destroyed the roads especially the ones created by the Applicants.

That the Applicants herein after all efforts to stop the Respondent Church from engaging in the wanton destruction of the roads and properties took action at the High Court, Koforidua which is currently pending. A copy of the writ of summons is attached as Exhibit “A".

That the Applicants also obtained an Order for Injunction and served same on the Respondent Church on the 27th of October, 2017. A copy of the Injunction Order is attached as Exhibit "B".

That a search conducted from the Registry of the Court shows the service of the Injunction Order on the Respondent Church as far back as 27th October 2017 but the Respondents herein have completely flouted the Order and have engaged in continuous construction on the land every single day. A copy of the Search Report is attached as Exhibit "C ".

That despite the Injunction Order and the service of same on the Respondent Church, the church has through its officers refused to stop their ongoing work on the land.

That from the day of service of the Injunction order on the church till date, the Respondents have continued working on the site every single day without any abeyance.

The court is expected to sit on the Contempt case on Thursday 12th April, 2018.