The Eastern Regional Police Command is investigating unlawful demolishing of uncompleted buildings at Kyekyewere a new settlement area at Effiduase in Koforidua, Eastern Regional Capital.
A three-bedroom house under construction by a poor couple with the tacit financial support of a philanthropist was part of buildings razed down by the unknown persons who went on a rampage .
The building had reached lentil stage before being demolished unlawfully and without court notice .
Mybrytfmonline.com visit to the site noticed that the suspects demolished the building with a bulldozer, grinded the blocks to floor the site in addition with sand and gravels which were being used for the project.
The couple -Mr and Mrs Osei said they were supported by a philanthropist to purchase the land from a former Assembly Member of Effiduase area -Osei Kwame alias Gaspa who told them the land belongs to him and was litigation free at a cost of Ghc6,500 late 2019.
He said, the landowner provided a receipt for the payment of the half- plot land and promised to provide the indenture and other documents later, however, urged the couple to go ahead to commence construction of their house on the land.
In November 2020, the couple who have three children with one living with disability commenced a three-bedroom house project on the land which was raised to the lentil level by January 2021.
However, they returned to the site in February to see that some unknown persons have heartlessly demolished and floored the three-bedroom house project.
The former Assembly Member who sold the land denied knowledge of the demolition but suspected one Osei Karkari who was unlawfully demolishing buildings in the area claiming ownership of large acres of family lands in the area even though the said land does not fall within the litigating lands.
The couple had officially lodged a complaint at the CID office in the Eastern Regional Police Headquarters. The suspect- Kwabena Osei Karkari was subsequently arrested last week but denied knowledge of the demolition even though he claimed the land belongs to him. He has been granted bail to assist with the investigation.
Meanwhile, the former Assemblymember -Osei Kwame who sold the land to the poor couple was also arrested to assist the investigation.
The victims -Mr. and Mrs Osei, are demanding justice ” we are poor so we want justice. All our investments must be paid to us. We sell air refresher and do petty trading to survive and take care of our children. It is only the grace of God that a philanthropist came to our aide to support us get our own house because payment of rent is always a burden for us “.
Mybrytfmonline.com is in possession of judgements and letters from Koforidua High Court and Lands Commission respectively against Osei Karikari for demolishing many houses in the enclave claiming ownership.
In one of the letters, the Lands Commission stated that ” the attention of the Commission has been drawn to a demolishing exercise carried out by yourself or your agents in Sector 17 &22 within Koforidua Municipality, without a lawful court order and have gone ahead to commence re-demarcation of the said sector in an attempt to recover possession of the said lands in that area in direction of a court of Appeal judgement dated 26th November 2018″
“You are aware that all that lands fall within the land vested in the President of the Republic of Ghana per Executive Instrument (EI)195 of 1962. As such the said land is known to you, and the whole world as public land. The said land is therefore under the management of and control of Lands Commissions.
You are therefore put on notice and notice is hereby given that your conduct amounts to contempt of court as well as unlawful execution of a judgement against the guarantees of the Lands Commission” The letter said.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
