Five(5) notorious land guards have been arrested by the Gomoa Nyanyano District Police Command.
The suspects are said to be harassing and terrorising developers in the area.
They invade plots of lands and houses to forcibly demand all kinds of exploitative and illegal fees including digging, painting and roofing fees from people at gunpoint.
They subject their victims to attack and violent interference and sometimes demolish buildings.
The Gomoa East District Assembly on Monday September 19,2022 banned activities of land guards and announced to arrest any land guard in the area.
This has led to a special operations by the police arresting the five suspects.
District Chief Executive(Dce), who double as the District Security Council Chairman(Disec), Hon Solomon Darkoh – Quarm told Bryt Fm News Correspondent Eric Owusu Amponsah revealed the suspects will be put before the law court.
The DCE commended the Police for the arrest.
Land litigation is one of the major security threats in Ghana.
The menace has led to breeding of land guards who unleash deadly violence in parts of the country.
Ghana has therefore passed Land Acts to deal with the menace.
A Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Law revealed that land guards can now be convicted for at least five years and not more than 15-years.
Lawyer Kwame Gyan indicated that when one is found guilty of any land guard activity, there would be no option as a fine but the culprit would be imprisoned.
He said the new regime of Land Act sets out sanctions from section 11, 12, 72, 236 and 277 especially that of section 12 to deal prominently with land guard issues unlike the old system section 34 of the Land Registry Act of 1962, Act 122 which was not vehemently applied.
“Now they are different targets of section 12 that is very prominent and intended to deal with the land guard issues. In section 12, you can see clearly the objective where it starts talking about protection of land and land”
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Eric Amponsah/Obed Ansah
