Five in court for allegedly destroying property at Katamanso
Five individuals have appeared in an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly destroying property on six acres of land in Katamanso, Greater Accra.
The accused allegedly damaged an unfinished three-bedroom house, a two-bedroom house, five thousand cement blocks, a block factory, a trio of single rooms, and fence walls, among other things.
They are Emmanuel. Nii Adjei Akpor, a 30-year-old engineer; Nii Amarlai Mensah Botchway, 44, a secretary; Nii Laryea, Nii Ayi, a 38-year-old businessman; and Adjetey Anum, 62, a driver.
The accused face charges of conspiracy to commit a crime, causing unlawful damage, and trespassing.
The court, presided over by Mr Bright Samuel Acquah, did not take their pleas.
The trial judge granted them bail of GH¢100,000 each, with two sureties, to appear on May 8, 2024, to have their pleas heard.
According to Chief Superintendent of Police Augustine Yirenkyi, the prosecutor who held the brief, the complainants in the case are Dr. Ellis Fielscher Djoleto, a medical doctor who lives in Tema.
The other complainants are Prince Donkor Yeboah, a military officer who lives in Madina; Brain Asare, a businessman residing in Kokomlemle; Emmanuel Kwei Afortey, a traditional ruler living in Katamanso; Patience Mensah, a nurse living in Amanfro and Alex Abukum, a businessman who also stays in Adenta.
The prosecution said Emmanuel Nii Adjei Akpor, Nil Amarlai Mensah Botchway, and Nii Laryea, the first, second, and third accused persons, live in Adenta, while Nii Ayi and Adjetey Anum, the fourth and fifth accused, live in La in Accra.
The court heard that the complainants acquired the land from Nil Laryea Afortey Agbo, the Regent of Katamanso, in 2020.
They were issued with Indentures and had taken possession of the various plots of land.
The prosecutor said complainants had built uncompleted houses and fence walls on the land.
On March 15, 2024, Nii Laryea, the third accused, wrote to the Regional Police Command in Accra, stating that he was the Family Head of the Okantsum Family and required police assistance to clear a family land in New Amanfro.
The prosecution said on April 13, 2024, Afortey, one of the complainants who lived on the site and owned a block factory, awoke in the morning to discover that the accused had illegally entered the land with two bulldozers and two police patrol cars.
The accused directed the bulldozer drivers to demolish the buildings on the land.
Afortey confronted Nii Laryea and Nii Ayi about the destruction, but the accused persons ignored him and proceeded to demolish the complainant’s properties, together with the fence walls, without any court order.
The court heard that the police command granted the accused two police patrol teams to clear the land.
The prosecution explained that on the said date, the patrol teams led the accused persons to the land.
However, the prosecution stated that upon arrival, the police discovered that it was not clearing land, but rather demolishing properties without a court order.
The prosecution said that the police advised the accused to seek redress in court, but the accused ignored the police, and Nii Laryea and Nii Ayi ordered the bulldozer drivers to demolish the structures on the land.
It said a misunderstanding ensued between the complainants, the accused, and some witnesses.
The prosecution said the police arrested both parties and brought them to the Regional Headquarters in Accra for further investigation.
During investigations, it was discovered that the accused succeeded in demolishing uncompleted structures on about six acres of land at Amanfro without a court order, and the value of the structures was unknown.
The prosecution said efforts are underway to arrest other accomplices.
Source: GNA