Group demands end to leasing of government lands in Dagbon

Dagbon Forum, a pressure group, has called for an end to the leasing of government lands and property in Dagbon, following a notice of eviction to traders at the forest reserve area at Aboabo in Tamale.

Chief of Sakoya Sintaro Mahama, President of the Dagbon Forum, who made the call at a press conference on Thursday, said that the break period of leadership in Dagbon gave rise to corrupt land grabbers in the kingdom, adding that there was no room for such under the rule of Ya-Na Abukari (II).

He said, “Information available to the Dagbon Forum is that part of the Forest Reserve named “Ward I” as per an eviction notice to traders at the Timber Market in Aboabo has been disposed to a private developer.”

 He added, “We, first of all, wish to put it on record that such a place in Aboabo named “Ward I” and the entire forest area that includes the Aboabo Timber Market is a protected area.”

He indicated that the “Ward I” parcel of land was bounded by the pillars of the Forestry Commission, adding the Dagbon Forum had authenticated the validity of the ownership of the land claimed by various people as belonging to the Ghana National Trade Corporation (GNTC), which was not the case.

Sakoya-Naa Mahama also called for the replacement of the current Chairman of the Northern Regional Lands Commission and urged the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to investigate the issues.

He called on the current leadership of the Northern Regional Lands Commission to avoid any possible breach of peace and security in Dagbon as far as the management of Dagbon lands was concerned.

 He called on the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to launch an investigation into the unregulated disposal of government lands in Tamale with the same degree of importance attached to the alleged disposal of state lands at the Achimota Forest.

He called for a special investigation to be conducted on all the government lands and property in the Tamale Metropolis, which were leased to private individuals between the period 2012 and 2022.

He said, “The people of Northern Region have had enough of the blatant abuse of the powers of the State by self-seeking individuals, who are supposed to protect government lands. Enough of the so-called leasing of government lands when they are actually been sold off.”