Tension is mounting at Barekese in the Atwima Nwabiagya North District of the Ashanti Region as the youth have threatened a bloody clash with encroachers to protect their farmlands from being encroached upon.
The community has come under siege with the indiscriminate sale of lands and destruction of farmlands by unknown persons.
The youth, however, suspect their embattled Chief, Nana Amoateng Brenyah, is behind the development and have declared war on any person who indulges in the sale and destruction of their lands without recourse to the owners.
There is a standoff between the Chief and his elders on one side, and the youth of the community on the other, following which they (youth) had purportedly destooled the Chief in his absentia in August last year.
It took the intervention of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to resolve the impasse to enable Nana Brenyah to go back to the community following the directive to go and reconcile with the youth and family heads for the development of the community.
Ms Eunice Addai, a youth leader, complained at a press conference that cash and food crops were being destroyed in the area without restraint.
According to her, a complaint had been lodged with the Suame Divisional Police to intervene and stop the wanton destruction of their lands to avert any bloody clash with the perpetrators.
The youth leader noted that the farmlands were the source of livelihood for the families who own them, and cautioned that the youth would resist attempts to encroach upon such lands without their consent.
The youth accused the Chief of terrorising the land owners by engaging thugs against them.
He is also said to have adopted a “one man” style of leadership, thus sidelined the heads of the Assinie, Asokore, Asona, Bretuo and Asiakwa families.
Ms Eunice Addai has, therefore, stated that they would not be intimidated by the Chief who claims to be untouchable, and called on Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to call the Chief to order to avert any confrontation.
Meanwhile, Nana Brenyah has reacted to the allegations and said he had engaged the families five months ago over a project under which a modern layout was being provided for the community from his own resources.
According to him, he was spending about GH¢10,000 any day the workers contracted for the layout were on site with their machines and labourers.
The Chief explained that the proposed layout would pave the way for the physical development of the town and attract investors, mentioning the siting of proposed campus of the University of Ghana at Barekese.
For this reason, he needed to ensure that water, roads and electricity were accessible under the project.
Nana Brenyah said he held the land in trust for the Asantehene and that he was mandated to bring development through investment thus he bound to protect the lands.
