Destruction of Osu properties must be investigated - Council

The Osu Traditional Council has called on government to act with urgency in investigating the destruction of its properties situate on the Achimota lands allegedly carried out by some security agencies.

“It is time to tell the Government that enough is enough. We are sending this signal that if this interference does not stop we will advice ourselves going forward,” it said.

The Osu Traditional Council made the call at a news conference chaired by Nii Kwabena Bonne V, the Osu Alata Mantse, on behalf of Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, the Paramount Chief of the Osu Traditional Area.

The Council, in a statement read by Nii Bonne, said the destruction was first carried out by the Old Students Association of Achimota School.

“As if that was not enough, the state, using security agencies like the National Security, Police Service and the Military, invaded the land with huge military vehicles, earth moving machines with armed men on Thursday, June 16, and demolished our properties on the land running into millions of Ghana cedis.

“It has now become necessary to tell the facts in the face of the wanton falsehoods, smear campaign and series of intimidations against the people of Osu in a land issue which all due processes were adhered to,” it said.

The citizens of Osu are law-abiding and have won several judgments at the courts dating 2011 till today in reference to the Achimota land, it said.

“It is not as if the Stool went onto the land without following due process. We have been in court with the Lands Commission and the Attorney General over issue which they lost,” the Council said.

It said greater portions of the Osu lands had been taken over by government for key national projects, citing the Accra Sports Stadium, the Parliament House, State House, Ridge bungalows, Flagstaff House as examples adding that the boundaries of the land stretched beyond Haatso.

“It is an un-deniable fact that many of our woes currently have been as results of these forcible acquisitions with little compensation which were not even paid.

“Royalty payment to the Stool, even though meagre, has been a tug-of-war which is gradually crippling the operations of the Stool and the Traditional Council,” the Council said.

It said the chunk of the Achimota land had been sold to cronies, old students and associates with artisans, fitting shops and traders plying their trade on the land while some squatters had made it their residence.

The Council said apart from governments not showing concern to this unjustified destruction of its properties, they had also neglected the people of Osu in terms of job opportunities “even though the seat of government is on our land”.