The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has denied allegations that the government engages the services of land guards to reclaim encroached lands. The ministry, in a statement on Monday, July 17, 2023 to debunk some media publicationsclarified that it sought legal means to embark on the move.
According to the release, the services of Aynok Holding Limited, a registered limited liability company was lawfully contracted to assist in reclaiming encroached government lands.
“We wish to categorically state that Government, and by extension the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, employs legal processes to reclaim all encroached state lands,” the statement said.
The statement signed by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Professor Patrick Agbesinyale, explained that the reports by the news portals could not represent facts, as the arrangement spans over a decade.
The Ministry’s rebuttal comes at the back of publications on claims by the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Alhassan Suhuyini, during the Ministry’s engagement with the Lands and Forestry Committee of Parliament.
READ FULL STATEMENT BELOW
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources by this Press Release refutes the allegations made by The Daily Post Newspaper and the Ghana web online news platform on the 17th, Day of July, 2023, on a purported statement made by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources captioned “Chief Director at the Lands Ministry reveals Ministry of Lands, Military and Police, have been contracting Land Guards” and “Government engages services of lands guards – Chief Director of Lands Ministry” respectively.
The Ministry would like to set the records straight that Government and for that matter the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources does not contract the services of land guards in its operations.
However, the Ministry through its agency, Lands Commission legally engaged the services of Aynok Holding Limited, a registered limited liability company to assist in reclaiming encroached government lands. This engagement has been in effect since 2012.
We wish to categorically state that Government and by extension the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources employs legal processes to reclaim all encroached state lands.
