The La Traditional Council has resolved to embark on series of demonstrations and other lawful acts to recover La lands, should President Akufo-Addo, the Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces fail to call the military to order.
The La Traditional Council is raising concerns over what it says are wanton annexation and continuous encroachment of La lands by the military, contrary to arrangements in place to release such lands to them.
The Council has held negotiations with the government, represented by the former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, over La lands being annexed and encroached by the military. It was pronounced at the end of the negotiations in November last year in the presence of the military and senior officials of the Lands Commission, who were parties to the negotiations from the onset that parts of the lands should be released to the La Stool and that the parts required by the military should be acquired through due process.
The parties were asked to exercise restraint by halting all activities on the land until the agreement is firmed up and boundaries of the La Stool and the military are delineated.
Speaking to the media on a tour by members of the La Traditional Council, the Trustees of the East Dadekotopon Development Trust, and the Coalition of Associations in La (COLA) to see for themselves activities of the military on the lands, Nii Adjei Koofeh IV (La Shikitele), speaking on behalf of the La Traditional Council, said the current happenings were very injurious to their position.
“Their (the military’s) actions are quite disturbing to the La Stool. We have been very magnanimous to the State, most prime lands of La have been used for purposes of national interest. The military has taken most of our land without due process and proper documentation. All that came up during our deliberations at the ministry, so if they intend to do something, they should follow due process. We expect the military to be law abiding and comply with the tenets of the constitution in order not to bring the name of their Commander in Chief into disrepute.”
