Residents in the Awutu Senya East and West municipalities in the Central Region have called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), George Akuffo Dampare, to as a matter of urgency, deploy police personnel to combat land guard activities within the area.
According to the residents, there was the need for the IGP’s swift intervention to salvage the situation because personnel of the Central East Police Command were allegedly not handling the issue with the seriousness it deserved.
In separate interviews with the Ghanaian Timessome victims described the illegal acts of the land guards as a form of terrorism, alleging that some investigators at the Central East Police Command were receiving huge sums of money and gifts of cars from leaders of the land guards and therefore refused to follow up on reported cases of land guard activities in the area.
Mr Akwasi Wiredu, a victim, said his three-bedroom house at roofing level was pulled down right in front of him for refusing to pay an additional GH¢1, 500.00 as digging fee to a gang who insisted he paid the amount before continuing with his project.
“When I started this project, I paid an amount of GH¢1, 500.00 to this same group of people and I did not see them on my land for months but upon realising the project was continuing speedily they showed up again to threaten me but I never gave in to them until that fateful day when they came to harass me again for the money,” he lamented.
Another resident who pleaded anonymity indicated that buying a land or starting a project, especially within the Kasoa Millenium City area was a risky move as the land guards were mainly stationed in those areas to harass and attack anyone they could easily get.
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He said they even go to the extent of harassing builders for monies for what they describe as “ceiling fan” and “tools fees.”
This he described as unreasonable and heartbreaking, alleging that one Kwesi Alhaji was the leader of all the notorious land guards in the area.
Danjuma Haruna recounted that he was harassed by criminals on his land, close to Nyanyano, to the extent that he had to abandon the site to protect his life and family.
Madam Rita Asuman, a trader at the Kasoa old market, lamented that his 39-year- old son was brutally assaulted about three months ago because he refused to allow some land guards who had visited his site at Opeikuma to carry his building materials away.
When contacted, police personnel at the command refused to comment on the matter, saying the IGP had warned them against granting interviews to the media but should rather channel all media related issues to the national headquarters.
