Land guards attack villagers over sand winning

The Okantah Youth Association in the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality on Wednesday appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Alhassan, to take action against land guards threatening the lives of people in the area.

Mr. Ebenezer Asamoah Akuffo, Chairman of the Association, told the Ghana News Agency that land guards were molesting people who stood against their sand-winning activities.

He said almost all their farm lands were being taken over by sand winners and each time they questioned them, the land guards subjected the inhabitants to severe beatings.

Mr. Akuffo said if the sand winning persists, there would be food shortage in the area and some would flee the town for their dear lives.

He said the worse aspect of the situation was that the land guards also attacked school children, as well as vehicles at night.

When contacted, Superintendent Akwasi Kankam Boadu, the Municipal Police Commander, confirmed the story and warned that any land guard who disturbed the peace in the area would be arrested.

He said the land guards had no business protecting any land at Okantah, adding that their refusal to end their operations in the area would be met with strong opposition by the police.