Land guards terrorise residents at East Legon

Residents of Bush Canteen, a popular community in the Greater Accra Region are demanding police protection following attacks on their lives on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 by some land guards believed to have been contracted by some ‘powerful’ people in high places.

The land-guards wearing military uniforms, Today gathered were employed by a prominent business tycoon (name withheld) to demolish structures in the area without a court order.

The demolition exercise by the hired land-guards rendered many residents in the area homeless.

In the ensuing confusion, Today learnt that the land-guards fired gun shorts sporadically to disperse the angry residents as their buildings were flattened; and residents had to salvage whatever belongings they could lay their hands on.

The level of destruction shocked many residents, who accused the land-guards and their paid masters of insensitivity.

Some residents who spoke in an interview with Today yesterday said, the land-guards did not attach human face to the exercise, adding that they were never notified about the exercise.

The victims still held that they acquired the lands from the traditional heads of the area, who also laid claim to the stool land.

Others also claimed the land was originally sold to them by the rightful land owners, and that the only document they had was the indenture provided them when they bought the land.

Mr. Ibrahim Jaja, one of the victims affected by the demolition exercise, disclosed to Today that the claim by the land-guards that they had a court order backing their action was false.

“The land-guards have pulled down more buildings in East Legon including my seven buildings all because they claimed they had a court order but upon investigations I know that they are fake.”

“The law has to deal with them for causing unlawful acts. In fact, the regional police command has some responsibility to ensure that,” he noted.

Meanwhile some residents have vowed to resist any attempt to drive them away from their lands.