Several structures including fence walls, which were all at various construction stages on 40 acres of land at Appolonia, Greater Accra Region, have been reduced to debris by a developer, whose name was given as Asandof Group of Companies by the victims and residents.
Victims at the site told newsmen that three earth moving machines arrived on Saturday morning, and upon the orders of a woman, whom they said they could identify in public, ordered the operators to raze all structures within the 40-acre stretch.
They alleged that they counted about four muscularly built men dressed in what looked like a military uniform and with guns strapped at their back, providing security to the bulldozers and the woman.
Regina Blay is one of the victims of the massive destruction and she narrated that that was the second time her structure had been pulled down by the company she identified as Asandof Group of Companies.
She told newsmen that she bought her parcel of land from the Appolonia Stool, after she had done a thorough enquiry at the Lands Commission.
Her search was evidenced with a report from the Lands Commission dated September 20, 2018, and signed by Ruth Mawunyo Asuo, for Executive Secretary of the Commission, and the report, with number PVLMDAOS176452018, stated that the said land, which is not a state land, was entered in judgement on April 12, 2010, in favour of four composite families.
They are Nii Iddrisu Mansro of the Bediako We, Seth Gblie of the Kojo We, Seth Affum of the Sanshie Sackey We and Nii Tei Adumoah II.
Armed with this detailed information from the Lands Commission, Regina Blay said she proceeded to acquire her plot of land for her business and residence from the composite families.
And two times she had commenced developing her land, same number of times Asandof Group of Companies moved its earth moving machines to demolish her structures and those of others, whose properties stand in an earmarked 40 acres of land by the composite families.
Mrs Blay and the other victims told newsmen that they reported the first demolition to the Ashaiman Divisional Police, who dispatched armed police personnel to the site to confiscate the earth moving machines.
They, however, said they were surprised to see the same earth moving machines at their site on Saturday morning, when they and their masons were on site, to knock down their properties.
When contacted, Nuertey Amobi Abotsi, acting Stool Secretary and Mankralo of the Appolonia Stool, told Awakenews that the Stool had reported the illegalities of the said Asandof Group of Companies to the Tema Regional Police Command, and “we only trust them to protect the legal developers and stop the said company from its cruelty before things go out of hand.”
He said all Appolonia Stool lands have been registered at the Lands Commission and “I must state that Appolonia Stool has not sold any 40-acre of land to any Asandof Group of Companies. The Stool would like to advise the said company to cease its cruelty or we arise to provide security to our clients, who are being terrorized with land guards.”
Nuertey Amobi Abotsi, however, lauded the Ashaiman Divisional Police Command for dispatching armed personnel to the site last Saturday, when the demolition started.
He said the police were able to impound three bulldozers, “and the Stool hopes that, this time, the police would do the ‘proper thing’ by getting the operators of the machines to show who their.
Story by Umar Sheriff / AwakeNewsOnline.com
