Benito Owusu-Bio
THE DEPUTY Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio, has strongly condemned encroachment activities on a government-owned land at Mpehuasem, a suburb of Accra, and declared government’s determination to win back the acres of land.
Addressing a press conference Tuesday, Mr. Owusu-Bio said government is concerned with the encroachment on state lands and has embarked on a mission to avert the illegality.
He defended the demolition of some walls and temporal structures on a parcel of land at Mpehuasem, stressing that the ministry’s contractor had the legitimacy to protect the said lands from encroachment.
“In recent times, there have been disturbances at Mpehuasem relating to government’s attempt to recover state lands which have been encroached upon by unauthorised persons. It must be stated that the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), section 236 frowns on encroachment on state lands and criminalises such acts.
“The Lands Commission as the managers of public/state lands under the 1992 Constitution under section 258 is performing its statutory functions to recover the encroached state lands,” he said.
He further disclosed that, government is aware of the activities of encroachers and has established a Public Lands Protection Team to regularly survey and monitor public lands to ensure that they are free from encroachment.
The team, according to Mr. Owusu-Bio, is composed of a representative of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR), a representative of Lands Commission, a representative of National Security, two representatives from Ghana Police Service, one of whom should be from the Property Fraud Unit, a representative of Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, a representative from the Attorney General’s Department, a representative from AYNOK Holdings and a representative of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council.
Speaking at the same press briefing, the Executive Secretary of Lands Commission, Ebenezer Kobina Dadson, sought to clear all doubts and mischief surrounding the public-owned land at Mpehuasem following a clash between students of Ideal College and some men suspected to be contractors protecting the said land.
Mr. Ebenezer Kobina Dadson espoused that the land in question is a public land which has been encroached upon by Ideal College and others.
Mr. Dadson explained that the commission has in various ways informed the encroachers which include Ideal College and the University of Professional Studies, Accra as well as other religious institutions on its plans to regularise the “illegal” structures where possible and to reclaim others.
Touching on the case of Ideal College, Mr. Dadson disclosed since 2018, the commission has taken steps to engage the institution to have their site regularised.
He stated that the owner of Ideal College is laying claim to some 20 plots of land, some of which he has sold to third parties on the blind side of the commission.
Dealing with the demolishing exercises, Mr. Dadson insisted that the commission, through its contractor, acted within the confines of the law as notices were served prior to the exercise.
He maintained that it has become necessary for the ministry to take firm steps towards retrieving all state lands which have been encroached on by persons, organisations and institutions.
“The Commission has given several notices since 2010 to persons engaged in these encroachments including Ideal College, the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) hostel and several churches. The last being a press release on April 16, 2022 and public notice of demolition posted within the area in April, 2022.
“The Commission is acting under Section 236 of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036) to recover these lands. This impunity of occupation of state lands must be mitigated,” he stated, adding that “The Lands Commission released a press statement on April 21, 2022 debunking the claim of ownership by the Mpehuasem Mantse, Nii Torgbor Obodai Ampao VI on April 16, 2022.”