2,972 land dispute cases recorded in Kasoa and environs

The Central East Regional Police Command registered more than 2,972 cases of land-related disputes between January and August this year.

Of the number, 202 cases have been successfully sent to court while the rest are still under investigation by the Command.

DCOP David Eklu, the Regional Commander, who announced the statistics in an interaction with the media, explained that some of the cases were being pursued at the civil courts while some of the feuding parties opted to settle their differences through alternative dispute resolution procedures.

The Command, the newest of the 18 police regions in Ghana, oversees security in Kasoa, Awutu Bereku, Senya Bereku, Awutu Bawjiase, Ofaakor, Millennium City, Gomoa Ojobi, Gomoa Nyanyano, Gomoa Dominase and Buduburam.

DCOP Eklu attributed the situation to the high interest in land acquisition and development of property which had earned Kasoa the tag of being a hub for land guard activities.

He said the police were taking steps to develop a database to track the trend of land disputes in the region to help peaceful and speedy resolution.

In spite of the high numbers, the Police Commander observed that violent and criminal activities associated with land guard activities had dipped considerably.

He said the police had waged a war on the activities of such thugs which had made it dangerous for them to continue in the path of violence and unjustifiable extortions from land owners.

To avoid having troubles with the police, the land guards had now assumed the tile ‘Asafoatse’ (head of traditional warrior groups) to carry out their nefarious activities including the demand for ‘digging fees’ from developers, failure for which they would resort to assault.

“I understand now there is tiling fees,” DCOP David Eklu stated.

He said he had issued a directive for the arrest of persons who engaged in seizing people’s tools without authority, adding that some people had been arrested and charged with stealing.

“If you have any case with land, report to the police and we will conduct our investigations to find out who are the actual owners.

“People going about individually to collect tools are being arrested and we will continue picking them up to face the full rigours of the law,” he assured.

According to the Regional Commander, general crime such as theft, robberies and mobile phone snatching in Kasoa had reduced through enhanced motorbike patrols, foot patrols and community engagements.

“I am not saying the crimes have been eliminated but at least we have managed it to the minimum so that people can feel safer and we are working on that to build more on what we have achieved,” he added.

He rallied the support and collaboration of residents and all relevant institutions to enable the police carry out their duties effectively.

GNA