The Tema Police Regional Command has been cited in a case of contempt after unlawfully providing security personnel for the demolition of properties at “Kpoi Eter” a suburb of Prampram in the Ningo Prampram District of the Greater Accra region.
Reports indicate that personnel from the Tema regional police command in a police pickup van with registration number GP 734 with support from some landguards who were also in a GMC pickup van with registration number GC- 9482- 20 number, on the 12th of December 2023 carried out a demolition exercise on the orders of one Bernard Agbotse, an estate developer. The exercise rendered several residents homeless with other properties that were under construction in the community also being pulled down by the team with the aid of a bulldozer.
The exercise has since raised serious concerns amongst residents there who questioned the role of the police in such an unlawful act when there is no court order to that effect since the land in question is currently under contention at the law court.
It is unclear why the Tema police will lead a team of landguards on the orders of an estate developer to pull down structures and as well render dozens of people homeless when documents at the Tema High Court shows that, the estate developer in question has no locus to make claim to the several hectares of land he lad led the security force to demolish structures on.
Background
The land in question has been a bone of contention between the Annor We Clan of Prampram and one Agnes Nortey which has been pending at an Accra High Court of which the said Bernard Agbotse had applied to be a party to.
It is unclear how a case that is yet to be determined will pave the way for the Tema police to supervise the demolition exercise of structures on the said land.
The latest exercise follows a similar exercise that was supervised by the immediate past Tema regional police commander, DCOP Daniel Kwame Afriyie who on the 16th November 2023 led the same team to demolish some structures sited on the land after a nearly bloody clash with some occupants there.
It is surprising to note that both the first and second exercises that were sanctioned by the immediate past regional police commander were done without any court order nor even prior notice to the residents there.
These developments coupled with some deviant acts exhibited by the personnel of the Tema Regional Police command under the watch of DCOP Daniel Kwame Afriyie have given residents of “Kpoi Eter” who have been rendered homeless some concerns to worry about.
Some residents who spoke to the media could not phantom why the Tema Police would sanction and supervise a demolition exercise that does not have any court order in that respect.
Mr Noah Abbey whose 3 bedrooms papartment was demolished in the latest exercise has appealed to the IGP and the Greater Accra Regional security council to investigate the matter and the actions of the Tema regional police command and bring the culprits to book.
Meanwhile, attempts to reach out to the new Tema regional commander DCOP Mr. Barnabas N. Nasumong, to solicit his views on the matter have proven futile, with checks indicating that he is yet to be briefed fully on the matter and as well the operations of his predecessor.