The farmers claim that officials at the Lands Commission unlawfully transferred the Tuba irrigation lands for commercial development, a move that has exposed them to harassment and intimidation by armed land guards.

According to the farmers, the Government of Ghana acquired about 13,000 acres of land in 1974 for the Weija Dam project. In 1983, the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) earmarked approximately 8,000 acres of this land for irrigation farming.

However, they allege that in 2013, over 90 percent of the land was returned to the original landowners through an Executive Instrument, leaving only about six percent for farming activities.

Some farmers told the media that land guards have chased them off their farms with weapons, creating fear and insecurity in the area. They warned that more than 300 farmers risk losing their livelihoods if the situation is not urgently resolved.

The aggrieved farmers are appealing to President John Dramani Mahama, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to intervene.

Meanwhile, the farmers’ lawyer, Paul Kumi, revealed that a private company is claiming ownership of the irrigation lands.

He has called on the President, National Security, and the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the role of the Lands Commission and reverse what he described as the questionable registration of the land in favour of the developer.

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According to the victims, who hail from Awutu, their ancestors purchased a vast tract of land at Okurase many years ago.

Over time, portions of the land were leased to farmers for cultivation, with the agreement that the landowners would receive a share of the harvest, a traditional practice locally known as “Yɛ ma yɛn kyɛ.”

The victims explained that their 92-year-old grandmother had given about 10 acres of land to a man identified as Anum to grow cassava last year. She later sent her grandchildren to the farm to collect their share of the harvest.

Speaking to Adom News, the victims recounted that unknown to them, the farmers had allegedly hired a group of armed land guards, reportedly led by a man nicknamed “Ninja,” who ambushed them in the bush.

While they were on the farm, the land guards reportedly opened fire, pepper-sprayed their faces, and inflicted deep machete wounds on them. One of the victims claimed he was struck in the eye with a gun, while another was shot in the head.

They further alleged that one of the assailants initially instructed his colleagues to kill them in a nearby forest, but another intervened and instead took them to the Adeiso Police Station.

Meanwhile, the Mbratohene of Okurase, Nana Kumavi Amenyanu, has appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to intervene immediately to prevent further violence.

He accused the group, led by “Ninja,” of terrorizing residents and forcibly taking over lands in the Okurase community, warning that locals may be forced to defend themselves if the situation continues.

Source: Kofi Adjei

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The Central East Regional Police Command has since arrested two individuals in connection with the incident, while the remaining suspects remain at large.

According to eyewitnesses, the alleged land guards claimed ownership of lands in the area, including the block factory, sparking a violent confrontation with workers at the site.

The owner of the block factory, Dominic Oppong Atta, narrowly escaped death after nearly being hit by stray bullets. He accused the Awutu Senya West NDC Constituency Organizer, Salifu Adams—who also operates as an estate developer—of using land guards to terrorize him and other developers in an effort to forcibly take their lands.

Mr. Atta has called on the authorities to take immediate action to arrest the remaining suspects and restore calm in the community.

Meanwhile, Salifu Adams has denied the allegations leveled against him.

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According to police reports, the suspects have been involved in repeated violent incidents that have disrupted peace and security in the area, leaving residents in constant fear.

Police prosecutor ASP Sylvester Agbezudor told the court that two of the suspects, Patrick Ndego and Hassan Hamidu, were charged with two counts—prohibition of land guard activities and causing public disorder—following a violent altercation on April 11, 2025.

On a separate charge sheet, the same two suspects faced identical charges alongside two others, Ebenezer Ankomanyi and Abass Chonchonko, who were also implicated in a violent confrontation that resulted in multiple injuries.

The presiding judge, Her Honour Nana Asantewaa Attakora, granted the prosecution’s request to remand the accused persons to enable further investigations. The suspects are expected to reappear in court on May 21, 2025.

This is not the first time some of the suspects have appeared before the court.

In February this year, Patrick Ndego was made to sign a bond to refrain from engaging in violent land-related disputes in the area.

Millennium City, also known as Gomoa Bantama, has for years battled persistent land guard activity, with residents decrying the violence and insecurity these individuals bring to the community.

Some residents who spoke to Adom News welcomed the court’s decision, saying the arrest and remand of the suspects could serve as a turning point in restoring calm and security to the area.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Gomoa Bantama, Nana Kwesi Amoanyi, commended the Millennium City District Police Command for their efforts in clamping down on land guard operations.

He called for stiffer punishments to be handed to the suspects to serve as a deterrent to others involved in similar criminal activities.

According to residents, the land guards have taken control of the palace, blocking access to anyone trying to enter.

This hostile takeover has left the community in a state of anxiety and unrest.

In an interview with Adom News, some residents of Gomoa Assin, where the seat of the Gomoa Assin Traditional Council is located, described the terror inflicted by the land guards.

They reported that 95 percent of the residents are living in fear due to the aggressive actions of the land guards.

Paramount Queen Mother of the Gomoa Assin Traditional Area, Obaatanpa Ama Eduwa, has called on the Inspector General of Police to intervene and bring an end to the violence and intimidation by the land guards.

She emphasized that the situation is dire, and the land guards are endangering lives in the community.

The ARSC expressed concerns over the rise in illegal activities involving land guards in the region.

In a statement dated June 20, the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (ARCC) advised residents to follow proper procedures to resolve their land disputes.

The Council cautioned that anyone found employing the services of land guards would be “apprehended, prosecuted, and arraigned before the court.”

Additionally, the Council emphasized that land guards themselves would face the full extent of the law.

“Based on this fact, the Ashanti Regional Security Council requests all citizens in the region to use the right procedures to address their land disputes rather than to employ the use of land guards whose activities always threaten law-abiding citizens and result in violence.

“The Ashanti Regional Security Council therefore states that any person found to engage the services of land guards will be apprehended, prosecuted, and arraigned before court. The landguards will not be spared either. They will be made to face the full rigours of the law.”

The Council called on the public to comply with the directive to ensure peace in the region.

“It is the expectation of the Regional Security Council, that the public will accept the above directives for strict compliance to ensure peace in the region.”

Click here to read the statement by ARCC

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According to the information gathered, the land guards insisted on a digging fee from the officer, who refused payment, asserting his rightful ownership of the land.

Tensions escalated, resulting in a heated confrontation during which the land guards opened fire on the officer as he tried to depart his Benz car.

The officer’s vehicle bore the brunt of the assault, with about 10 bullets piercing through, shattering the windscreen, and leaving noticeable dents on the sides.

In a brazen move, the land guards seized the officer’s AK47 gun, prompting him to urgently summon assistance from the Central East Regional police command.

Responding promptly, police personnel arrived at the scene to restore order.

A subsequent manhunt ensued, leading to the apprehension of four suspects involved in the attack.

The stolen AK47 gun has since been successfully recovered during the operation.

Miraculously, the police officer emerged unscathed.

Nana Ayi Quaye expressed grave concerns over the increasing land guard activities in Gomoa Nyanyano and its neighboring enclaves, which have left developers living in fear and panic.

In an interview with Adom News, Nana Ayi Quaye disclosed that, the Gomoa East Assembly had previously taken measures to ban land guard activities in the area.

However, despite these directives, land guards have persistently ignored the Assembly’s orders and continue to harass residents and developers alike.

Nana Ayi Quayere called for urgency in addressing land guard activities in the area to ensure the safety and security of residents and investors in Gomoa Nyanyano.

Nana Ayi Quaye made these remarks when Director of Kasapa Center Limited donated acres of land to four state institutions, including the Ghana Police Service and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), among others.

The Gomoa Nyanyano District Crime Officer, ASP Francis Kumi, speaking on behalf of the other state institutions, pledged their commitment to working diligently to restore order and security in Gomoa Nyanyano.

For his part, the Director of Kasapa Center Limited, Kofi Acheampong called on Ghanaians to support the Ghana Police Service and other state institutions by providing the necessary logistics to enhance their effectiveness in service delivery.

The accused were granted bail by the Circuit Court in Accra in the sum of GHc150,000 each, pegging the combined bail sum of the 27 at GHc4,050,000.

The sitting judge, His Honour Mr Samuel Bright Acquah, in addition to the bail sum, said they should produce three sureties.

Upon ruling on the application for bail by the defense lawyers, the judge, Mr Acquah, adjourned the case to September 5, 2023.

The accused had each pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit crime to wit; false communication and prohibition of the activities of land guards, on their first day on August 10.

They were arrested on August 9 after they were said to have been involved in land guard activities.

Their lawyers have since contested that accusation against their clients.

Brief facts

Per the brief facts of the case presented to the Court, the Prosecution said, the complainant, Kenneth Brobbey is a pensioner.

The accused persons are; Adam Abdulla, (Excavator Operator), Abdul Ahmed, (mate), Abdulai Musah, (City Guard), Ali Musah, (businessman), Faisal Kassim, (farmer), Issah Mohammed, (Batcher), Sumala Amin, (footballer), Alhassan Osman, (Security man), Dawuda Namba, (businessman), Razak Yahaya, (Butcher) and Musah Ibrahim, (driver).

The others are Ibrahim Adamu (painter), Yusif Musah, (Footballer), Muniru Yusif, (Businessman), Muda Haref, (businessman), Willaim Addo, (motorbike Mechanic), Razak Abdul Raman, (butcher), Yakubu Saheed, (security man), and Bashiru Issa.

The rest are Wahab Moro, Maxwell Kuma, Mohammed Samdeen, Yaw Anthony alias Dogman, Wazil Mohammed, Abdallah Nicholas, and Mustapha.

The Prosecution stated that, in the year 2021, suspect, Benefor Kofi Ben Asamoah of Asamoah Properties demanded and collected $350,000 dollars from the complainant under the pretext of selling three acres of land situated at East Legon near Trassacco to him.

It’s stated that the suspect, after collecting the money, asked the complainant to wait as he was eager to begin development.

The Prosecution said the complainant, after several demands to go on the land, was called on August 9, 2023, by suspect Benefor Asamoah to come and observe.

Grading and demarcation

It stated that the grading and demarcation of the land occurred, and the complainant, in the company of his agent (Eric Ansah), went to the land and met the accused persons on the land and protect the Bulldozer operators and the mate to grade the land.

While the complainant was at the site observing the grading, representatives of Top-kings and Trassacco, who were fighting on the land, called the Police to report the activities of the land and the grading.

It said, that police patrol teams from the Accra Regional Headquarters swiftly moved to the scene and arrested the accused.

The complainant’s preliminary, investigation revealed that suspect Benefor Kofi Ben Asamoah engaged the services of the accused persons led by accused Muda Haref.

“Further investigation revealed that, suspect Benefor Kofi Ben Asamoah, currently (at large) invited victim Kenneth Brobbey to come and witness the grading of the land he had purportedly sold to him.

“The accused persons were charged with the provisional charge and brought before this Court, whilst effort are underway to get Benefor Kofi Ben Asamoah arrested for investigation. Case still under investigation,” it stated.

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According to them, the men are supposedly hiding behind property developers and forcibly developing lands without legal owners’ approval.

The expansion of the Nsawam-Apedwa trunk road is bringing development to communities along the stretch.

The desire to build ultra-modern buildings has become necessary for developers and many land owners.

This, in one or way the other, has increased cost and demand for land on the stretch.

Despite owning documents from legal land title authorities, some Teacher Mante residents say their lands are not being protected by the institutions.

Report reveals that the land guards subject the residents to inhumane treatments when confronted.

A US-based Ghanaian victim, Dr Alfred Abban, revealed he was shocked to see his four acre land being used to construct a fuel station without his approval or knowledge.

He explained further that, when the land guards chased them out of the land they informed their counsel who secured an Interlocutory Injunction on the said land, yet the construction continues.

The residents are, therefore, calling on the Inspector-General of Police, Dr Akuffo Dampare, the Judicial Council the other law enforcement agencies to come to their aid.

The yet-to- be-identified land guards numbering about 20 stormed the factory in the Gomoa East District of the central region wielding machetes, clubs and other tools.

The land guards are said to have been in search of some workers who were involved in an argument with the sub chief of the area.

However in the absence of their persons of interest, they descended on other workers, injuring three in the process.

Two were slashed in their arms while another was left with an open wound to his face.

A driver at the block factory, Eric Nyamekye said the Youth Chief (Mmerantehene) of Millennium City rammed their truck for transporting blocks to customers with his Toyota Landcruiser.

The driver said the chief slapped him when he approached him to demand for a repair of the damaged area of the truck.

Meanwhile, some of the workers who sustained cutlass wounds were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Owner of the block factory, Enoch Ashia has reported the matter to the police but they are yet to take any action.

The men numbering about 20 inflicted cutlass wounds on two people who were part of workers at the office.

Speaking to Adom News, Hajia Alima Saidu who was part of the injured said she was chased with weapons and while escaping, one of them hit her with a concrete block.

Hajia Alima said she is traumatised.

The Atofohene of Ashalaja Nii Kadri Osumanu said the perpetrators burnt everything in the office.

He has therefore called on the IGP to focus on Ashalaja to save lives and properties.

Nii Abbey Akanfra who is in charge of the Akwanor Royal Family Secretariat also expressed shock and called on Police administration to investigate the matter.

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He said the perpetrators were captured on a CCTV camera which he believes will aid investigation.

The armed land guards, numbering about eight, reportedly stormed the community amidst sporadic shooting and injured the workers in the process.

Some residents who managed to escape from the attack said they are living in fear.

In an interview with Adom News, the residents revealed aside from the masons, another person was also inflicted with wounds with a shovel.

They have, therefore, called on the Central East Regional Police Command and the Inspector-General of Police to come to their aid as land guards are using weapons to take their lands and houses from them without any documents.

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Meanwhile, the Youth Chief of Awutu Papaase Number 2, Nana Quaye Nyamekye, said land guards activities are coming back again in the area and there is the need for security agencies to be deployed to their rescue.

A 35-year-old man, David Otu, is on the verge of losing his sight after suspected land guards inserted a motor key in his left eye.

The incident occurred at Awutu Akrampa in the Awutu Senya West District of the Central Region on Friday.

In an interview with Adom News, Mr Otu said the suspects from Kasoa came with motorbikes and forced them to stop the work on his brother’s land he was supervising workers on.

During the altercation, one of the land guards Mr Otu narrated hit his eye with a motor key he was holding.

He explained he is in severe pain and partially losing his sight as his vision has become blurry.

The Awutu Bereku District Police Commander, confirming the incident, said two persons have been arrested and assisting with investigations.

Meanwhile, the land owner, Frank Joe Darko, has called on the Police to investigate the matter thoroughly and make sure justice prevails.

Play the video above for more:

The Ankobeahene of Awutu Traditional Council, Nai Oshimpo Acheampong, was also attacked with his penis and testicles squeezed.

This unfortunate incident happened at Awutu Bereku in the Awutu Senya West District of the Central Region on Wednesday.

Information gathered by Adom News‘ Kofi Adjei indicated the chiefs and their elders were waiting for the Awutu Senya West District Chief Executive to hold a meeting on how to deal with refuse disposal in the area.

The group, allegedly hired by some family members, invaded the venue and attacked the chiefs while announcing their destoolment.

Nai Oshimpo, narrating his ordeal, said some of the family members accused him of releasing portions of their land to a company as a landfill site.

Nai Kofi Okyere, who sustained cutlass wounds, said their beatings were like wrestling.

The group was said to be supervising the reconstruction of a building demolished a month ago.

The Police Command and the Gomoa East Assembly on 29 March 2022, demolished the structures built on waterway at Gomoa Nyanyano, Kakraba and Millennium City to pave way for drivers and residents.

After the exercise, the suspects allegedly resold the lands and also started supervising the owners to rebuild.

In an interview with Adom News, Operations Commander, Chief Superintendent Theodore Hlormenu said other land guards are currently on the run.

He revealed that, the operation in collaboration with the Regional SWAT team led to the retrieval of guns.

Chief Superintendent Hlormenu said they have taken their statements and will be arraigned for prosecution to set as a deterrent to others.

He has also warned other land guards and individuals to desist from such acts because the command will not condone it.

Meanwhile, the Gomoa East District Chief Executive (DCE) Solomon Darko Quarm, has commended the police for the swift response.

Below is video of the operation

The suspects demolished a 10-bedroom self-contained house belonging to the victim, Akisi Vivian, over ownership of land.

Two out of the four suspects managed to escape the attack while the rest narrowly escaped lynching.

Madam Vivian, narrating her ordeal to Adom News, said the suspects once confronted her and claimed ownership of the land on which she was building.

She added that she bought the land with her last savings in a bid to set up property as she had been rendered incapable following an accident which saw her amputated.

After paying no heed, she said the group of men dragged her to the police station, and the matter is still in court.

Without waiting for a verdict, the men are said to have on their own authority pulled down the building while she was away.

Residents, who witnessed the event, demanded they cease fire, but they were greeted with hostility.

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Consequently, the Sehwi youth launched an attack on them, injuring two in the process.

But for the intervention of the Assembly man for the area, Vincent Afriyie, the suspects would have been lynched.

They have been hospitalised at the St John of God facility under strict supervision.

Mr Afriyie urged the police to work on the case and ensure justice reigns.

The incident occurred at the one-week celebration of a late Senior Inspector Gideon Doh.

Sources close to the immigration officers indicated that the Asafo members stormed the barracks and tried to stop the officers from carrying out the observation.

This was as part of moves to enforce the ban on noise making as part of preparations towards the Homowo celebration and they believed that Iron City falls within the Greater Accra Region.

In an interview with Kasapa FM, Madam Esi Agyeiwaa, who witnessed the scene, said they, out of the blues, saw over 20 people suspected to be land guards from Accra in several vehicles.

They landed and started beating the immigration officers mercilessly.

Meanwhile, an opinion leader at Kasoa Iron City, Nana Wiafi Bediako, revealed that they were shocked with the attitude of the Amanfrom Asafo Companies because they pay their taxes and vote in the Awutu Senya East Constituency.

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Nana Wiafi said some women were also beaten and stripped naked during the clash.

According to him, they all run away for their lives because they threatened to beat and kill them.

“I personally as a chief ran away for my life. If they see you wearing a black dress they beat you,” he narrated.

The Amanfrom District Police Commander, Superintended Augustine Okata, confirmed the incident and said investigations were ongoing.

The clash reportedly happened in an area between Awutu Bonsuoko and Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region.

According to police, the construction workers were casting concrete when the intruders, numbering four, on motorbikes, storm the site to demand that they stop work.

The Senya Bereku District Police Commander, ASP Kingsley Asirifi Asante, who briefed Adom News about the clash said the land guards were alleged to have opened fire on the builders.

He said unbeknown to the land guards, the construction workers had superior arms hence responded in equal measure, leading to one land guard being gunned down.

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The injured was shot in his neck area and is currently receiving treatment at the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital.

ASP Kingsley Asirifi Asante added that an alert was sent to his station, but the land guards had fled the scene before his team arrived.

A group of land guards, numbering 10, are said to have fired live bullets on them over a parcel of land at Awutu Kwao Bondze near Kasoa in the Central region.

According to information gathered, the Asafohene and his team visited the site to pay his workers who are constructing fence wall but were greeted with bullets.

In an interview with Adom News, one of the labourers, Yaw Buabeng, said while waiting for their wages, they saw their employers down as the alleged land guards fire their guns 20 metres away from the site.

The Mponuahene of Awutu Traditional Council, Nai Kwabena Atopi I and kinsman of the victim are, thus, calling on the Inspector-General of Police to come to there to aid for justice, else revenge is inevitable.

He said that was not the first time his people have been attacked.

According to the police, the alleged land guards targeted carpenters and motor riders who operate and inflicted cutlass and gun wounds on them.

Police say they connived with some hospital staff to feign assault with plasters and bandages as though they were rather the victims.

In an interview with Adom News, Zinabu Yusifu , wife to the one of the victims, who is receiving treatment at the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital, called on the Inspector-General of Police to come to her aid.

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According to her, the leader of the land guards has inflicted cutlass wounds on the husband.

Some of the motor riders and masons claimed they were leaving in fear in the vicinity due to the activities of land guards.

The Odikro of Gomoa Tuansah, Nana kwao Obrendu, said his outfit had written several petitions to Kasoa and Bereku police but nothing has been done to calm the situation.

Odikro of Okanta, Nana Kwabena Owusu, who spoke to Adom News said their farm lands have been sold to a private developer who has kept them under the watch of the land guards.

Some residents of the area who added their voices to that of the Odikro said the land guards had, on many occasions, subjected caretakers of some of the properties to severe physical assaults.

According to them, the armed thugs fire gunshots sporadically, scaring children, innocent families, and the entire community.

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Despite many reports made to the Police, the land guards continuously threaten the safety of the residents as they harass and drive inhabitants out of their own properties.

”All reports made to the police have not yielded any results; the police arrests them and leave them after a short while for them to continue terrorizing us,” the Odikro said.

The residents have, therefore called on the Inspector General of Police to intervene in the matter to save the lives of innocent children, vulnerable individuals and properties.

According to Nana Ekow Kudumanu, the Omankrado of Fetteh-Kakraba, some people purported to be land guards equipped with deadly weapons attacked them on their land.

He said land guards who come to the area often attack people working at construction sites, beat them up and seize their tools, and until the people pay a certain fee, the land guards would not leave.

He added that, even weeding or painting one’s own property attracts fees from these land guards.

According to him, failure to pay the fee has often resulted in a serious confusion which led to the shooting of the men.

He explained that, on one of his usual duties to measure a land site for the Omankrado of Fetteh Kakraba with a potential client, a man who goes by the name Kwesi Alhaji deployed men to kill them.

“We don’t want to put the law into our own hands. We have laws. We want peace. If the police is holding AK47 and the land guards hold the same then we are poor as a country…” he said.

“The chieftaincy disputes are becoming too much. The land guard actions need to be stopped. We even have Nigerians been land guards. Our lives are at risk. The ex-chief was killed by a land guard…” he maintained.

He called on the Ghana Police service to beef up security in Fetteh-Kakraba to protect lives and property.

Listen to the Omankrado 

However, Mr Kwesi Alhaji who has been blamed for leading these land guards has rubbished the allegations leveled against him, insisting that he hasn’t even recovered from his sickness since September to carry out such a ‘barbaric’ act.