IGP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare
A resident of Labone in Accra has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare over his unlawful eviction from a property he and his family had occupied for 27 years.
The petitioner, Joseph Djantei Abbey, was an employee of the late Janet Snowden Maxwell, as a labourer, cook among other miscellaneous duties.
He claims that by nature of his duties which required his presence in the house most of the time, he was allocated the boys’ quarters of the house where he and his family had lived for 27 years until the death of his employer.
His petition however, indicated that he and his family were allegedly forcibly evicted by five gun wielding police officers from the Cantonments Police Station in Accra on the alleged orders of the deceased’s daughter, Charlene Maxwell, without any court order, notice of eviction or a prior notice which he said breaches the verbal agreement he had with his late employer.
“It must be noted that at the time of my forced eviction, Ms. Charlene was not the legal owner of the said property as there had not been any transfer of interest to her because my employer died intestate and her will had not at that point been read. Therefore, there was no legal grounds on which Ms. Charlene Maxwell could or should have evicted me from the property without due notice,” the petition stated.
The petitioner claimed that the police who effected “the forced and illegal eviction” were at all material time during the process receiving instructions over the phone allegedly from Ms. Charlene Maxwell who was in the United States.
“We were not permitted by the eviction team to take any of our personal clothing or other personal effects out of the room and to date we have not been able to access or use any of our own clothing or goods,” he claimed.
The petitioner also alleged that his family had been threatened with death by one Nii Darku Dodoo, a private security guard contracted allegedly by Charlene Maxwell to guard the property and although he reported the matter to the Cantonments Police Station, nothing has been done about it.
“I am in no way asserting any claim of ownership of the property (boys’ quarters). I am only asserting my right to have stayed in the property in accordance with the arrangement that I had with Mrs. Maxwell until such time as her daughter Ms. Charlene Maxwell would serve me with due notice for her intention to terminate my employment, accompanied by a notice to vacate the property within a reasonable period of time and in a humane and dignifying manner.”
Mr. Djantei Abbey is therefore, calling on the IGP to institute an investigation into the conduct of the five gun wielding police officers who forcibly threw him and his family out of the property they had occupied for 27 years.
Meanwhile, the forced eviction has been reported to the Rent Control Department.