Officials of the Ghana Police Service have been caught engaging in illegal land sale and buying, ignoring due process.
The Tei Appiaki Beniana, owners of the Fiankonya lands in the Shai-Osudoku district are in despair and are asking questions as to whether the police who are to protect lives and properties and ensure that justice prevails in matters of conflict, are rather conniving with some unscrupulous land guards to take over their lands.
The family is calling on the new Inspector General of Police (IGP) to look into the matter of what the Tei Appiaki Beniana family describes as illegal grabbing of their lands by some junior rank police officers in connivance with some persons whose lineage with the Beniana family cannot be substantiated.
According to the Head of the Beniana family, Numo Moses Beniana, Currently we are not living in peace because our farm lands have all been stolen by notorious land guards and portions of it have been unfortunately and clandestinely been sold to the police who are rather supposed to put such people behind bars.
He asked, “as to whether these police officers who are fronting their guns in our presence, on our land everyday did any investigation before buying the land.”
According to him, efforts to ascertain whether the police officers bought the land in the name of the police service or in their personal capacity has been met with silence from the Police Administration.
“We have sought audience with the police Welfare Department and the Public Affairs Directorate to show us documents showing any legal acquisition but to no avail. Except to tell us that the officers bought the lands from an estate company, Nathans property," he revealed.
Numo Moses Beniana, the Head of family said, they have not sold any of the over 1700 acres of lands their forefathers bequeathed to them to any Estate Developer and as such, whoever buys the Fiankonya lands from anybody or company aside the Beniana family is engaging in an illegality.
He said the youth of the family whose farmlands have been taken away from them and have become impoverished are beginning to lose their temper against the activities of the police officers who are laying claims to their land.
“This is why the new IGP must act fast,” he noted.
He further revealed that “our checks from the Lands Commission did not show that all these land guards laying claims to our lands have registered it anyway so why are people virtually pushing us away from our land and source of livelihoods,” he asked.
According to Numo Beniana, they would fight with to the last drop of their blood to ensure that they stay on the land bequeathed to them by their forefathers.
This paper can say that the Police have been tight-lipped over the accusations in our efforts to seek for their response.
We would follow on the matter and keep readers posted.