The Beniana family at Fiakornya has expressed its displeasure at the Ghana Police Service (GPS) for allegedly harassing and intimidating them on their land.
The family claims the GPS illegally acquired over 1,000 acres of land from a private estate developer, which also illegally acquired the land, including the family’s cemetery and shrines from an encroacher who faked documents to the estate developer.
At a presser in Fiakornya on Monday to state their claim, Numo Moses Beniana Mensah, head of the Benianas, said the unabated intimidation and harassment by armed police personnel in the area have forced the indigenes and developers at Fiakornya to almost turn the community into a ghost town.
He disclosed most of the youth especially have deserted the community to engage in menial jobs elsewhere when their lucrative farming occupation was their most cherished source of livelihood.
On how his family became owners of the Fiakornya land, Numo Beniana recounted that, the Tei Appiaka Beniana family bought the said land from Larteh Kubease for 100 pounds in 1908 and subsequently secured indenture in 1912.
That, he said was after his forebears had helped the Akuapems defeat the Ashantes in the Katamanso war in 1826.
Then in 2002, he stated a survey unveiled that some neighbours had encroached parts of their 1,173 acres of land including cemeteries and shrines.
“The survey further revealed that about 1,000 acres of our land had been sold to a private estate developer called Netas Properties and Investment. The estate developer and family heads of the encroachers admitted trespassing, claiming it was a mistake and promised to correct it. While we were expecting the correction to be done, we later realised that the GPS had purchased the land in question from the said estate developer,” Numo Beniana narrated.
Part of the Fiakornya land which the GPS is said to have illegally acquired
Noticing the illegal transaction between the GPS and estate developer, Numo Beniana said his family formally cautioned the police administration against the land.
Additionally, he indicated the then IGP Acheampong refused to reply two petitions his family had presented to him, however, he said the Police Service later requested the Benianas to produce the site plan to the said land, which they did.
“After producing our document covering the land, the GPS played hide and seek with us until in February 2021 when the then Director General and Welfare Officer of the GPS, COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah convened a meeting between us and the estate developer”. “After listening to both parties, she gave Netas Properties and Investment a two-week ultimatum to come back to us and do the right thing”.
“Since that meeting in which COP Tiwaa Addo-Danquah gave the estate developer a fortnight to resolve the matter amicably with us, we have not known peace at Fiakornya. Since then, some police personnel have turned themselves land guards who always come here to harass, threaten, intimidate and arrest us amidst gunshots. “Sometimes, they chase us out of our homes with guns,” he expressed.
For the sake of peace, Numo Beniana appealed to the current IGP to intervene and recall his men from the land and also pleads with the Interior Minister and all concerned citizens to call the police land guards to order.
The area falls under the jurisdiction of the Tema Regional Police Command and efforts to reach its PR Unit via the telephone on the allegation was unfruitful.
By: Umar Sheriff Musah
