Curb land guard activities in Greater Accra

Langma (GAR), April 09, GNA - The government has been called upon to find a lasting solution to the activities of land guards and the illegal sale land especially in the Greater Accra Region.

Nene Otchie Aradatu III, Chief of Langma near Kokrobitey in the Ga West District made the call at the weekend, when he spoke to newsmen. He noted that land guard activities was rife in communities springing up around the nation's capital and other urban areas and said they had contributed to the proliferation of small arms and an upsurge in criminal activities especially involving the use of firearms. The Chief stated that such activities if not stopped could generate into communal violence and create social tension and insecurity in the country.

He noted that since the area was a tourist attraction any tension and violence could have a repercussion on the country's foreign exchange earnings since visitors and other investors in the sector would be deterred.

Nene Otchie Aradatu noted that the only way to discourage these anti-social activities was for the authorities to deal swiftly and decisively with people apprehended engaging in such acts to serve as deterrent to others.

The Chief of Langma appealed to the Inspector General and the Police Administration to investigate a shooting incident in which a life was lost in an attack on him by land guards that was reported to the Gomoa Nyanyano Police.

He said a pump action gun seized from the land guards during the attack was also handed over to the Nyanyano Police, which said it had transferred the case to the Winneba Divisional Headquarters of the Service.

According to the Chief he and five of his elders who were wounded in the attack had to stop following the matter because they were made to "go and come " by the Police and wanted to know what had become of their reports.

The Chief stated that he had been attacked by the land guards led by one Thomas Armah popularly known in the area as Asante Pume, even to the Odorkor and Dansoman Police, adding that in all over 400 plots of land had been sold by him and his gang, adding that "Justice delayed is justice denied".

He stated that Asante Pume used servicemen in his activities and alleged that he had given over 40 plots of lands illegally in the area to the personnel who had been harassing and intimidating residents developers.

The Chief expressed his willingness to assist the authorities in investigations into the attacks. 09 April 06