Lawyer sues Police Officer for obstruction

Mr. Ishmael Kofi Turkson, an Agona Swedru-based legal practitioner, has sued Inspector John Kojo Botwe of the Kaneshie Police in Accra and four other tenants in his house at Swedru for trespassing on a parcel of land.

Mr.Turkson is claiming general damages against the Police as compensation, for the inconvenience he suffered as a result of the untoward behavior of the defendants.

He has also filed an order of interlocutory injunction to restraint the defendants, agents, assigns, personal representation and others from further developing the disputed land, until the final determination of the case.

Other Defendants in the suit are Carolina Aidoo, a staff of the Nyakrom Rural Bank, Joe, care taker, Ekow and Paa Kwesi.

Mr Turkson is also demanding special damages of 500 Ghana Cedis being the cost of a trench he dug, which the defendants unlawfully and without any legal basis destroyed.

In his statement of claim, Mr Turkson stated that the police officer's house is near Botwe Estate, his residence, while the other four defendants are his tenants.

According to Mr Turkson, he got to know the police officer while doing his National Service at the Swedru Secondary School after completing Mfanstipem School in 1985.

He said on August 9, he had a distress call from his house that the police officer had come around wielding a gun, and with the other defendants,

According to the legal practitioner, they were actively filling the trench he has hired a labourer to dig at the cost of 500 Ghana Cedis.

Mr Turkson is claiming that the defendants are trespassers, and will continue with their acts of trespass, and is therefore praying the court to restrain them.

According to Mr Turkson, he has lodged a complaint with the Agona Swedru Police, who, he said, are investigating the criminal aspect of the matter .