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Paramount Chief of the Osudoku Traditional Area, Aadegbor Ngmogmowuyaa Kwesi Animle VI, has cited some junior chiefs of the Area of contracting land guards to terrorize residents and property owners.
Chiefs of Shai and Osudoku Traditional Areas in the Shai Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region are raising the alarm over what they say is an imminent clash with land guards currently operating with impunity in the district if the security forces do not immediately intervene to stop acts of lawlessness by the unauthorized groups.
Aadegbor Ngmogmowuyaa Kwesi Animle VI, also President of the Osudoku Traditional Council said the chiefs, who control some stool lands of the traditional area, took advantage of the responsibility reposed in them as custodians of the lands to engage in the indiscriminate and wanton sale of the lands meant for sale to finance activities of the traditional area.
“What happens is some of the junior chiefs, they are controlling the lands and they sell the lands indiscriminately,” the Paramount Chief complained bitterly to newsmen. “Before you realize, they go and contract land guards to come and be terrorizing the people in the area.”
The chiefs engaged in the sale of the lands without the consent of the traditional council, he said, adding that they also failed to account for proceeds from the sale of the lands to the traditional council and thereby depriving the institution of the much-needed revenue.
“How can a chief be selling lands without the consent of the traditional council without, paying even a 1000 to the traditional council? They enrich themselves, leaving the traditional council in poverty,” Aadegbor Ngmogmowuyaa Kwesi Animle VI lamented.
The situation has thus forced the traditional council to fall heavily on the district assembly for financial assistance, a situation the Paramount Chief is displeased with.
Aadegbor also accused culpable chiefs of refusing to bring such land cases to the traditional council for adjudication but instead opt for the courts where they bribe their way through the justice system.
“Why are the chiefs and the other people refusing to bring the cases to the traditional council to be tried?” he queried rhetorically. “Because they are trying to dodge the facts so they hide and go to court and some of them, excuse me to say, employ the judges and give them money.”
“How can a judge be in court alone and be giving judgement?” questioned the Paramount Chief, who added that it is the traditional council that knows the problems of the lands in the area.
Aadegbor said though the issue had been brought to the attention of the Akuse and Asutuare Junction police, very little had been done to subdue the activities of the groups due to lack of adequate personnel and logistical challenges confronting the service to enable them confront the menace head-on.
Adding his voice to the issue, Chief of Dodowa, Okukrubuor Tei Kwasi Agyemang said chiefs had been admonished to stay off issues involving land guards.
He said, “chiefs have been advised to properly demarcate their lands to avoid acts of encroachment which breeds land guard activities as affected persons contracted them for such purposes.”
He called on chiefs to resort to the traditional councils for peaceful arbitration of land litigations instead of employing land guards and warned that the Shai Traditional Council will not shield any chief caught in land guard terrorism.
Okukrubuor Tei Kwasi Agyemang also decried the spate of the menace in the Shai Traditional Area and warned that the situation, if not curbed, risked encouraging acts of self-defence which could be a security threat.
“Unfortunately, the police service are not helping us. If the police fails to help us then every citizen has the right to protect himself,” warned the Chief to buttress the point that the police failed to act promptly and appropriately in dealing with reported cases.
He called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to step in and intervene.
The two chiefs said the land guards were emboldened in their activities because the police failed to act on reported cases as the groups terrorise and brutalise residents, particularly property owners.
Responding to the concerns of the chiefs, District Chief Executive for Shai Osudoku, Daniel Akuffo who confirmed the existence of such groups in the district said the issue had come to their attention.
“There have been skirmishes and clashes,” said the DCE.
Aside the traditional councils expressing concern over the issue, Mr. Akuffo said he was in discussions with the District Security Committee (DISEC) on how to approach the menace, adding that steps would be taken to address the issue.
A number of people have reportedly already been injured during clashes between these unidentified men and property owners.
The chiefs told this reporter that the situation is getting out of control, and insisted that the illegal groups be flushed out of the traditional areas to secure peace in the district.
