File photo
A Former Communications Director of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ellembelle Constituency of the Western Region, Mr. Samuel Erzoah has accused the Founder and Head Pastor of Cross of Calvary Prayer Center at Teleku Bokazo of demolishing his building meant for a store.
According to him, the pastor hired the services of about 15 male youth from Anwia to forcibly undertake the demolition exercise.
Narrating the incident to GhanaWeb, Mr. Erzoah said the small tract of land by the roadside in front of their family house belongs to the government and since the land was lying fallow not being used by anybody, he started building a drinking bar on it.
He revealed that the Head Pastor's late father, Mr. Gabriel Nyame was then using the land some years back for a bookshop but ceased to operate after his demise adding that since then the area has lied down without anybody from the community using it.
Mr. Erzoah added that the area is not far from his family house and decided to erect a structure on it as a social center meant for relaxation.
To his utter dismay, Pastor Nyame instructed some youth from a neighboring community called Anwia to demolish the building which was under construction in the early hours of Sunday, October 7, 2018.
The structure, he said was demolished "early this morning at 6 am, with youth thugs from another community called Anwia and when they were doing it I was there with my wife and others and we monitored them without struggling with them".
Asking the reason why he didn't struggle with them, Mr. Erzoah said he is a law-abiding citizen so he allowed them to accomplish their mission but added that the only thing he did, was to take photographs with them.
The NPP Communicator said the demolition exercise by the Head Pastor was an illegality since he was not informed by him and added he was very disappointed in him.
"What the Pastor has done is against the laws of this country and also against the word of God because I was expecting him to know his right and be guided by the word of God but he didn't and let me put on record that the land is not for him, the land is for the government because it is on the roadside but since is closer to my family house so I started to build a structure on it so that my customers can sit there relax and enjoy themselves there and this Head Pastor only wake up and brought his thugs to demolish my well-invested project", he lamented.
He added "I will let the law deal with him without any favour because he must know better and I have reported the incident to the police, I will sue him within this week without any delay, how can a pastor behave like that. I don't have any grudge with him and what pains me is that he saw me developing the area and this pastor never approached me but brought his thugs the next day to demolish my structure, the law...the law... the law will speak, I will not forgive him", he added.
Reacting to the incident, the Head Pastor of Cross of Calvary Prayer Center at Teleku-Bokazo who is also the Assistant Headmaster of Nsien Senior High School in the Nzema East Municipality, Reverend Minister Anthony Kwame Nyame refuted the accusations leveled against him but admitted that the land was for his late father.
He told GhanaWeb reporter on phone that it was his late father who first used the land and since his father's departure nobody has been using it and added that he has planned to use the land but only wake up to see Mr. Erzoah using the area.
He added that he was not the one who ordered the youth to demolish the construction and urged the general public to ignore his accusations.
Rev. Nyame told this reporter that still the land is for his father and will not allow the NPP Man to use it without his knowledge and also assured the general public to battle with him in court to claim ownership.
He also revealed that he has since reported the case to the police that Mr. Erzoah was using illegal land for his personal gains.
"Please Mr. Reporter let me place on record that I will not allow him to use the land that supposed to be used by my father's family members be use by Mr. Erzoah, I will never and let me tell Mr. Erzoah he thinks I'm a pastor so I will not talk or leave him to use the land without my knowledge, I will not so he should get ready because I have also written my report to the police so I will not comment further", he charged.
Currently, the Ellembelle District Police Command is man-hunting the youth who demolished the structure.
