The Minority members on the Lands and Forestry Committee of Parliament have accused the government of enlisting the services of land guards to recover and protect government lands. They alleged that the Chief Director of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Professor Patrick Agbesinyale, made this revelation during a meeting with the Committee.
According to the Minority, Prof. Agbesinyale disclosed that even the police and military employed the services of land guards, paying them a fee, to regain and safeguard government lands, which is in violation of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act.
In a press conference, Alhassan Suhuyini, the Deputy Ranking Member on the Lands and Forestry Committee of Parliament, expressed concern over the government’s lack of commitment in addressing land guard activities.
He stated, “We had hoped that with the passage of the law to criminalize land guards, our land tenure system would be cleansed, and acquiring land would no longer be a matter of life and death. It was surprising to learn that the Ministry has resorted to hiring a land guard to protect government lands.”
Suhuyini further highlighted the shocking revelation that the Ghana Armed Forces and the Police also relied on this land guard to protect their lands. This raises questions about the ability of the military and police to safeguard their own properties and the potential implications for ordinary Ghanaians seeking to acquire land in the presence of land guards.
Moreover, the Chief Director’s disclosure stated that this specific land guard had a setup that the state could not compete with, which further added to the scandalous nature of the situation. Suhuyini called for an investigation into the activities of this land guard, as it was alleged that their actions had resulted in fatalities.
To summarize, the Minority members of the Lands and Forestry Committee of Parliament have accused the government of utilizing land guards to recover and protect government lands. They expressed concern over the revelation that even the police and military employed land guards and called for an investigation into the matter, as well as the activities of the particular land guard involved.
Source – citinewsroom.com
