Police Provide Security To Togolese To Evict 67, 000 Residents On Kpeve Tornu land

Tension is brewing in Kpeve Tornu, the fishing community in the South Dayi District of the Volta Region which needs urgent action by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo-Dampare, and National Security Minister, Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah to safeguard the alarming situation which is posing insecurity of the residents in the area.

The lives threatening development, this news outfit follows the eviction of a total of about 67, 000 residents who are predominantly farmers and fisher-folks by a Togolese national with the supreme support of police officers with the Kpeve Police Station on the land of Kpeve Torn.

According to the affected residents, they were not served with an eviction order before the armed to teeth police officers from the Kpeve Police Station stormed the area with a Togolese national to demolish building structures including the crops on the vast lands.

They lamented that when they were also resisted not vacating the land, the Kpeve Police Station Commander under the Volta Regional Police Command has ordered the arrest of one of their leaders, Mr. Doe Abusah.

They pointed out that they were staying on the Kpeve Tornu land with the knowledge of the custodian owners of the land to do their farming and fishing activities for the past sixty (60) years 

Kpeve is a small town located in the Volta Region of Ghana and divided into Kpeve Old Town, which is part of the Afadjato South District, and Kpeve New Town which is part of the South Dayi District, the administrative district capital of South Dayi District.

They pointed that the eviction residents are the farmers who farm behind the river Volta as it drained back for soo many years now.  

"As the residents of Kpeve Tornu as we are, we used the opportunity to work behind the river to provide to our family members and also pay school fees of our children," the affected residents told the journalists.

They revealed that the recent development begins when "we heard that a rich man from Togo is coming to farm fish. We were happy because it provides some form of part-time work to many of us in the area. 

"All of a saddening was told the man will be constructing road which clears part of the pepper and garden egg farms of Mr. Doh Abusah and many of the residents without any form of compensation.

"As focus as we are, we went ahead to continue our farming activities as the river Volta continues to drain. On one faithful day, we then saw some people led by one Baba who claims to be the caretaker of the said"rich man" planning coconut on the farmland where our farms situated," they narrated.

They asserted that there was a disagreement and misunderstanding which led to fighting between the affected farmers and the members of the foreigner.

They pointed out "One of the guys then chased and threatened Mr. Doh Abusah with machetes which made him run to safe his life and subsequently reported the case to the Kpeve Police Station, saying that no one was arrested.

They confirmed that the police then invited Mr. Abusah and the leader of the thugs (Baba) for the next three days together with the Chief of the area. 

In this sense, they indicated that the chief of the area told Mr. Abusah and other farmers that the area was bought by the Togo citizen (the rich man).

When they came back from the meeting, they stated that Baba angrily told Mr. Abusah that his house will soon be demolished and Mr. Abusah also made the police aware of this.

"However after Mr. Abusah worked on the farm on Sunday, January 2, 2022, and Monday, January 3, 2022, he was invited by the police on the next day which was Tuesday, January 4, 2022. 

"Only for us to hear that Mr. Abusah was locked in a cell by the Kpeve Police Station Commander on the order of the Togolese.  

"While we are waiting for the police to proceed to court, he was released in 24hours and was told by the commander to demolish the fence and stop the farming with immediate effect. 

They expressed shock that although the  police provide security to this man's to destroy our farmlands in the area we still believe in the credibility of the police but feel we were treated unfairly."