We are not  Land-guard Operatives In Gomoa Fetteh -Assaulted Workers Of Fetteh Salt Industry Fires Back At Kwesi Alhaji 

FOURTEEN land-guards assaulted workers of the Fetteh Salt Industry Limited, the private registered salt mining company in the Gomoa East District of the Central Region have flatly rubbished allegations being levelled against them to the effect that they are land-guard operatives.

The workers were wrongly accused that they had attempted to assassinate one Kwesi Alhaji on Wednesday October 12, 2022, the accusation, they described as a completely lies and baseless.

According to the victims, they are legally and satisfied private security officers who were employed by the management of the company to protect the lands and properties of the salt mining industry at Gomoa fetteh.

They recounted on how the guns, dangerous and deadly weapons holding land-guards who are the boys of Kwesi Alhaji launched severe mayhem at them and later turned to make the false claims their are land-guards.

They lamented that the hired miscreants have wounded them in the process of the attack meted to them when they were at work on Wednesday, October 12, 2022.

The assaulted workers numbering about 14 was responding to the current wide media reports which was suggested that they were land-guards who had attacked Kwesi Alhaji.

Some media houses including United Television, Angel, Adom, Metro televisions and Oman FM reported in their today's news bulleting that some suspected land-guards have been arrested by Kwesi Alhaji and his boys and later handed them over to the Ghana Police Service of Central Gast Regional Police Command.  

But in a quick rebuttal, the assaulted workers of the company in a press conference on Thursday October 13, 2022, emphatically stated that they are not land-guards, saying that they are workers of the salt mining company operating in Gomoa Fetteh.

Showing their letters of appointments to justify that  that indeed they are the workers of Fetteh Salt Industry Limited, they pointed out that the land-guards tagged being labbed on them was a calculated attempt by Kwesi Alhaji to tarnish the hard earn image of the workers and the private security officers of the company.

"We wanted to make it clear that it was rather the boys of Kwesi Alhaji who had attacked us without any tangible reason. And we are ready to meet them in any place to debate the allegations leveled against us," the assaulted workers stated.

The victims have however announced to the general public to debunk the above mentioned allegations being levelled against them.

Addressing the journalists, the Director of Fetteh Salt Industry Limited, Mr Kofi Ackom, has called on the government, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. Akuffo Dampare and the National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dappah to, as a matter of urgency to intervene to rescue them from criminal activities being allegedly orchestrated by Kwesi Alhaji.

He accused Kwasi Alhaji of allegedly fueling conflicts in the area and explained that Gomoa Fetteh is a peri-urban town and subject to the Royal Ahunako Stool of the Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area.

The creation of intra family insecurity, conflicts, and divisions within and among the Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area, particularly Gomoa Fetteh which has become a den for the deadly chieftaincy conflicts and landguardism in the area.

He pointed out that the brewing conflicts which have stalled the development of the area is championed by Kwasi Alhaji.

"We are calling on the government to immediately stop Kwesi Alhaji and his followers for using dangerous and deadly weapons to visit severe attacks on them because we don't know him as the citizen of Gomoa Fetteh. He is stranger and he must be taken from the Gomoa Fetteh," he stressed.

However, this reporter gathered that the salt mining company has reported encroachment of its land and thus hired Security personnel to patrol the land and report encroachment to the Police and Military (Operation Calm Life).

According to information available to this news outlet, the security men of the company were made to go through police clearance before their engagement to avoid mistaken identity by the community who are under serious security threat by thugs and land guards.

This online news portal gathered that on their patrol on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, they were intercepted by a group led by Kwasi Alhaji and subjected to beatings (assault and battery).

The sources told journalists that these thugs popularly known as land guards in the area assaulted them mercilessly claiming the security personnel was rather land guards.

The news outlet discovered that these thugs used the Police to carry out unwarranted arrests after the assault. 

According to the information, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and other top executives followed up with the Police only to find out the activities were not sanctioned by the Commander in charge but rather by an Officer with questionable character who is currently on leave.

The journalist was told that the police Commander apologized for the shortcomings and promised to investigate the matter thoroughly.

The company has however lodged an official complaint against the culprits and has demanded their immediate arrest for investigations to be carried out.

"We are not powerless against injustice, we are law-abiding citizens and wish to exhaust all legal options available to us in ensuring that justice is served. We believe in the rule of law. They trespassed on our land to cause harm as if laws don’t exist. Let’s wait and see how they escape this, added the spokesperson for the company, Mr. Nana Essel.

It is on record that Gomoa Fetteh has been in news recently over chieftaincy and landguardism issues for over two decades.