Mallam Traders Warned Not To Challenge Authorities

The military has vehemently defended its invasion of a disputed land around Mallam in Accra where traders had their wares, including bags of salt, completely destroyed.

Public Affairs Director of the Ghana Armed Forces Col Aggrey Quarshie told Joy News his men were only carrying out a duty, imposed on them by another state agency.

He has told the aggrieved traders to “respect orders” and not to “challenge authority.”

But the traders are unfazed. They are demanding compensation from the military as well as the Sanitation Minister Kofi Adda who is believed to have given instruction for the military takeover.

Background
A piece of land which used to be a landfill site but has been reclaimed has become a subject of controversy. The traders are claiming ownership of the property but it appears the Sanitation Ministry has other uses to which it will put the land.

Spokesperson of the traders, Nathaniel Winston told Joy News' Emefa Apawu they bought the land in 1995 from the Gbawe Quartei family and had since been paying for it.

Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com|Nathan Gadugah