Lift Embargo On The Manhean Land Acquired For The Proposed Dam Project—Kingsford Takyi-Yankson Of Unikings Estate Appeals To Akufo-Addo

The elders through Mr. Kingsford Takyi-Yankson being the Managing Director of  Unikings Ventures Limited, who has been given a power of attorney from the Nii Kwaku Datre Royal family of Manhean to protect the land from encroachers stressed that lifting the embargo on land against them would pave way for the land owners to register their lands to prevent the land-guards including Abu Majeed and his thuggish groups to trespass on their lands in the area.

"The time has come to lift the embargo against Manhean land owners," Mr Takyi-Yankson told Soireenews.com.

He explained that in 1977, under the regime of the late former President Ignatius Kutu Acheampong's military rulership, Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) wanted to build the Dam at Afuaman a town near Manhean. 

For this, he indicated that the Afuaman needed to be relocated from their existing settlement to a table land "so the Ghana Water Company sought the permission of Nii Kwaku Datre Royal family of Manhean, once they were the allodial owner of the Manhean land, and made a request for 590 acres of their land totaling 4,694.11to relocate Afuaman so that the dam project could be constructed on Afuaman land."

He noted that the people of Afuaman were also afraid to be a subject for Manhean and subsequently be considered slaves.

Consequently, Mr. Takyi-Yankson asserted that the people of Afuaman were not consonant with the decision, so they never moved and the 590 of land was left unattended for encroachers to take gratuitous possession. 

"So before the Nii Kwaku Datre Royal family realized that  the government had cheated them and a step made for the retrieval of their lands, encroachers had already occupied with impunity, and an embargo had also been placed on 4,694.11 lands randomly," he explained.

Additionally, Mr Takyi-Yankson indicated that the Dam construction was carried out at Weija, "as we all witness it, adding that  Lands are not acquired by conquest as they used to be in the ancient days.

He said the the embargo is imposed under the Executive Instrument (EI) and can only be expunged by the incumbent president or government.

"Kingsford Takyi-Yankson, the Director of Unikings Ventures Limited in collaboration with his grantors held a press conference last year 2022, petitioning President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his Government to cause the Works and Housing Ministry, Lands and Natural Resources, Lands Commission to free us from the captivity by expunging the unpaid embargo on our lands, but as it stands our sizzling sweat for the freedom was seemingly considered as nothing. We didn't hear from them," Takyi-Yankson told Soireenews.com.

The defendants who are standing trial in the court with suit No.E1 /SHC/42/ 2023 are Solomon Mintah, Nii Akwaanor IV, Mushey Akwanor, Enock Djan, Abu Majeed, Mallam Bawa, Abdulai Aryeetey, Mohammed Yakubu and Alhaji Mutala Mohammed

Mr Abu Majeed and other defendants, according to the documents sighted by this news outlet have continued with their construction work, working day and night and especially on Sunday being service day, under heavy police protection from the Danchira Police Station of the Ghana Police Service without recourse to the order from the court of competent jurisdiction.

The police officers at the Danchira Police Station  were accused of supporting Mr Abu Majeed and his workmen to defile the court to develop the land under borne contention in Manhean and the affected called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare to call Mr Abu Majeed and his workmen to order.

This paper can say that grantee of the said land, the Chief Executive (CEO) of Unikings Ventures Limited, Mr Kingsford Takyi-Yankson  working for the allodial owners of the land, the Kwaku Datre Royal Family of Manhean through the plaintiff, Solomon Agyiri Quacopoome on behalf of the lawful representative of Nii Kwaku Datre Family of Manhean, seeking an Interlocutory inunction under Order 25 rule 1 of CI 47

The defendants who are standing trial in the court Solomon Mintah, Nii Akwaanor IV, Mushey Akwanor, Enock Djan, Abu Majeed, Mallam Bawa, Abdulai Aryeetey, Mohammed Yakubu and Alhaji Mutala Mohammed

The matter travelled through the Court and the Court presided over by Her Lordship Mrs Justice Doris A. Daba-Bekoe on June 22 2023 granted the order for interlocutory injunction against the nine defendants including Abu Majeed and his workmen.

The Judge stressed that the defendants either by themselves, agents, servants, workmen, privies or other persons developing or dealing with the land in dispute are restrained from interfering with the disputed land till the final determination of the suit.”

But this news outlet has ,however, gathered that although the court has served the interlocutory injunction on Abu Majee, his workmen and other defendants, they had defiled the court processes served on them while busily working on the said land.

In view of the entrenched stance taken by the Defendants, irrespective of the order of Interlocutory Injunction, to continue to work on the land in defiance to the court order, the grantee of the family has hinted of his preparation to ask his lawyer to write to the Director, Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service and requested for police intervention and protection of lives the disputed land and also cite the defendants for contempt.

Attached relevant documents to support his claim that Mr Abu Majeed and his workmen have built structure on the land within a very short period and are still working under heavy security protection, Mr Takyi-Yankson lamented that their lives in danger due to the activities of the land-guards in Manhean enclave.

According to Mr Takyi-Yankson, he was given part of the lands through Kwaku Datre Royal family of Manhean to develop for them as the real estates developer. 

Mr Takyi-Yankson stated that Mr Abu Majeed has allegedly brought a lot of land guards to Manhean and that anytime "you go to your lands, he would send these thugs to come and attack you on your land. 

He added that these land guards would beat you up, and subsequently confiscate the working tools and building materials and then run away.

"There are lots of life-threatening disturbances Abu Majeed and his workmen are engineering in the Menhean enclave which has created insecurity fear and panic. A couple of days ago, about 30  notorious land-guards wielding guns attacked some of my workers at Manhean and also squeezed their testicles but shocking the case which was reported to the Danchira Police Station but proved futile," he told journalists in Accra.

He pointed out that the Court gave them the right to work on the land after restraining Abu Majeed and other defendants but when his workers went to the land to work the land-guards attacked some of his workers at Manhean and also squeezed their testicles of his workers.

"Although the court has placed an injunction on my opponents who are nine defendants, Abu Majeed claims to have bought the same land belonging to the Kwaku Datre Royal family measuring 101 acres under the jurisdiction of Manhean from the people of Ashalaja.

"The historical background with proven site plan documents have shown that the people of Ashalaja do not own that particular stretch of the land in question of the Ga State,' Mr Takyi-Yankson stated.

Mr Takyi-Yankson rubbished the widespread claim that the said land in question belongs to the people of Ashalaja.

He further tendered the series of genuine land documents of the site plan of the land to prove his case that indeed the land in question is being owned by the Kwaku Datre Royal Family of Manhean.

"As l am speaking to you this case is in court and even we went to court today but Abu Majeed and his followers have not turned up in the court.

"But Abu Majeed and other defendants have been busily working on the land with impunity although there are injunctions placed on them.

"I didn't understand why the Abu Majeed and other defendants would flout the order of the court of law in this country and continue to work on the land which is born of contention. I am asking the IGP and Chief Justice to call these miscreants to order because they even plan to eliminate me( Kill me) as I serve as a threat to their horrendous activities.

"Being the law-abiding citizen of Ghana, l respect the law so l don't want to meet squarely with other land-guards. I don't do things in that way because l believe strongly in the rule of the law. Thus, I'm calling on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to come to the aid of residents of Manhean since our lives are in danger now."

"But all this thuggish transpired through the mistreatment of Ghana Water Company, as Ghana Water Company requested 590 acres of land from Manhean totaling 4,694.11 without any compensation paid to the family since 1977 under the regime of the late President Acheampong when the Weija dam needed to be built at Afuaman and so people of Afuaman needed to be relocated to Manhean Land, he stressed.

According to him, the notorious land guards attacked them on their lands and tried to stop them from grading their lands and reselling them to others. 

"This unfortunate incident always happens at Manhean daily in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region we are sending a safe of soul message to the President and Inspector General of Police (IGP) to intervene," he added.