Farmers threaten to stop Inland Port Project

Kumasi, July 14, GNA- About 100 farmers who lost their farms following the acquisition of the land for the Boankra Inland Port project have threatened to violently stop the implementation of the project, citing, cheating in compensation payments made to them by the Ghana Shippers Council (GSC).

They warned that they would chase out anybody who would construct any structure on the lands.

The farmers led by Nana Yaa Frimpomaa of Boankra, gave the warning when she and some of the farmers called at the Kumasi office of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Sunday.

They alleged that while those who had food crops, oil-palm plantation and other cash crops on the land received paltry sums ranging from 31,000 cedis to four million cedis, "ghost and faceless farmers" who neither had farms nor owned any parcel of the acquired area were paid between 14 million and 20 million cedis.

They said they had already sought audience with the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo on the matter. Again, a team of investigators from the police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters had been to Boankra following their petition to the President.

They, however, expressed misgivings about the manner the investigators were handling the matter.

"We find it a bit odd that the police officers should quietly invite the very people who we insist do not qualify to be paid compensation and ask them to show the location of their farms without our notice and presence."

They said since they were the people who operated on the land they were in a better position to tell the real farmers and owners of farmlands in the area by graphically showing common farm boundaries and expose the fraudsters.

''In the circumstances we have every reason to be suspicious of the outcome of the investigations'', they said.