Family demands compensation over Adonten SHS land

The Awo-Amene descendants of Yeboah Akotia Agona family of Aburi in the Eastern Region is demanding compensation over the land which the Adonten Senior High School (SHS) is situated.

Appearing before the Judgement Commission (JDC) on Thursday in Accra, Mr Nartey Raymond Quao Tettey, a member of the Awo-Amene descendants said the land was released for the school project by the family in 1974, but was later acquired through an executive instrument in 1978.

He said, after the release of the land, a valuation was done for the crops on the land and the family was offered GH? 14,000 as a compensation, which was rejected on the grounds that the valuation be made together with the land but not the crops only.

He said a correspondence that took place between the late Nana Yeboah Akoti II, the head of the Yeboah Akotia Agona family however confirmed that the land was not given out for free.

He therefore asked that the compensation over the acquisition of the land be paid to the family.

Mr Kwesi Bentsi Enchil, Chief Valuer at the Lands Commission in charge of Compensation Schedule, said the land in question was 66.67 acres and has other claimants apart from the Awo-Amene descendants.

He told the JDC that, the various correspondence that took place between Nana Yeboah Akoti II and the then Lands Department in the 1970’s suggested that the land was donated for free for the construction of the school.

He said, per the correspondence, the owners of the land demanded that compensations be paid for the crops on the land.

He disclosed to the Commission that, one Nana Appeadu Bediako has however, recently put in a claim for the compensation of the said land to be paid to him.

But, according to Mr Tettey, even though Nana Appeadu Bediako is the current head of the Yeboah Akoti Agona family, he is not the right person to claim for the compensation over the said land as he is not a descendant of the Awo-Amene family.

The JDC has however promised to investigate further whether the land was donated for free as being claimed by the Lands Commission or otherwise.