A picture of some demonstrators
Residents of New Kordiabe in the Shai Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region say they are living in fear following frequent attacks by gun-wielding land guards.
The residents, who are predominantly farmers, allege that their lands are being taken from them by these land guards, reportedly acting on the orders of the Chief of Manya-Jorpanya, Nene Dr. Tei-Djahene Korabo.
At a press conference held in Kordiabe, the residents claimed that the chief is forcibly asserting ownership over their lands and sends heavily armed men to attack them on a daily basis.
According to the residents, although New Kordiabe is distant from Manya-Jorpanya, the chief is illegally claiming that the area falls under his jurisdiction.
Chairman of the New Kordiabe Landlords Association, Joseph Akamah, said residents have been forced to stop their daily activities due to threats and harassment by the land guards.
“We have halted all our daily activities due to the harassment by land guards allegedly acting on the orders of Nene Korabo,” he said.
Mr. Akamah added that the residents had legally acquired their lands over the years and questioned why they were being prevented from developing their properties.
“There is a court injunction on the entire land, yet Nene Korabo and his team of land guards have taken the law into their own hands and continue to attack us,” he stated.
He further alleged that the chief and his son are behind the ongoing harassment and called on the Member of Parliament for the area—who also serves as the Greater Accra Regional Minister—Linda Akweley Ocloo, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), President John Dramani Mahama, the Minister for the Interior, and other relevant authorities to intervene before the situation escalates.
Warning that residents were capable of defending themselves, he said, “We also have the men to confront the armed individuals, but we don’t want to take the law into our own hands.”
The chairman expressed concern that the ongoing attacks were creating an unsafe environment for residents.
“Schools in the town have shut down due to gunshots being fired hourly within the New Kordiabe township,” he added.
Meanwhile, Nene Dr. Tei-Djahene Korabo, when contacted, denied the allegations.
“It’s false, it’s false, it’s false,” he said. “That man calling himself Joseph Akamah, chairman of the landlords’ association—we don’t know him here. We have land titles here,” he insisted.
