The police are hunting us in Ada - Ada Songor Lagoon Association

Leaders of the Ada Songor Lagoon Association (ASLA), in the Ada East and Ada West Districts of the Greater Accra Region, have expressed grief over how the police and the military have denied residents of communities in the enclave their peace since 2023 due to an alleged clash with the police.

According to the leaders, residents around the lagoon live in fear after police personnel accused them of being involved in a shooting incident on November 6, 2023, that resulted in the death of Korletey Agormeda.

The leaders also lamented that the police arrested some residents in Toflokpo, Salom, and Bornikope for allegedly destroying properties belonging to Electrochem Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of McDan Group.

Nene Mailo Dadebom Anim, chief of Toflokpo and a leading member of ASLA, confirmed that those arrested are currently in court.

However, the police could not confirm they were the perpetrators of both the killing and the destruction, adding that the police are seeking the interest of Electrochem.

He expressed disappointment in the police, saying they have neglected their official duty to find the killer of Korletey Agormeda and are instead detaining innocent people to conceal the chaos they have caused at the lagoon.

"After an innocent person in our land has been shot and killed, the police have resorted to a human hunt in communities around the lagoon just to cover their irresponsibility. They have accused us and also arrested innocent men who know nothing about the shooting."

"As of today, some of our men can't sleep in their rooms because the police are hunting them at night. Our alleged offense is that we have destroyed properties belonging to Electrochem and shops belonging to workers of Electrochem," he said.

When asked about the government's intervention in the crisis, Nene Dadibom criticized the sitting government for being passive and unconcerned about the atrocities the local citizens in the area were subjected to, citing the government's role when the first killing occurred in 1985.

"The first shooting occurred in 1985 when a stray bullet killed a native named Margaret Kuwornu. The PNDC, led by former President Jerry John Rawlings, fought some private individuals claiming concession of the lagoon and handed it to the people of Ada.

"However, the current government has not made any attempt to address the conflict arising from the lease of the lagoon, even after they killed one of us last year. It is obvious that the government has a hand in the lease of the lagoon to McDan Group," he lamented.

"The government in power is supporting the investor against us. After the shooting, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament directed the Committee on Lands and Forestry, Mines, and Energy to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the issue. We submitted our grievances to the committee, but the government has not responded to our concerns, which shows it is unconcerned about our predicaments," he added.

Nene Mailo also described the operations of Electrochem as chaotic and illegal, which have adversely affected the livelihood and other economic activities of the indigenous people in the area.

"We have been stopped from working and mining salt at the lagoon, which is affecting our livelihood and our seasonal farming. Before the beginning of every farming season, we mine salt and invest what we earn from the mining."

"As we have been forced out of the lagoon this year, the farmers are left with no option but to take out loans with high interest to start the farming business. Food vendors and other business operators are suffering due to the lack of a market. We will blame this on the instructions of the authorities who have stopped us from working at the lagoon this year," he said.