The custodial owners of Pokuase “Agric Lands” have called on estate developers and individuals scouting the lands for purposes of building to desist from it.
According to some seven families who claim to be the rightful owners, the land is for a family but not a stool, cautioning that those meeting chiefs with respect to the lands should take a cue. The seven families made this known in a press conference in Accra yesterday.
Mr Prince Nii Amo-Dodoo, Principal Family Elder of the Nii Dodoo Clottey Family, who spoke on behalf of the seven families, gave a brief history of why the families are claiming ownership of the lands.
He indicated that 532.749 acres of land was acquired in 1947 by the then government for pig farming.
“However, due to alleged influx of tsetse flies, it could not serve the purpose for which it was acquired. It was nevertheless turned into what has popularly been known as Agric Land and used for the experimentation of Agricultural purposes such as Seed improvements, animal research and animal husbandry by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR),” he narrated.
He continued that the land was leased for 50 years and indicated that per the laws of Ghana, after 50 years the land naturally reverts to its rightful owners and hence their claims.
He, therefore, advised private investors to stay off the lands as they take steps to have the government to reverse the land to its original owners.
Meanwhile, MrNii-Amo-Dodoo said the group bemoans the lack of interest on the government’s side in ensuring that the land is returned to the seven families.
He said the show no concern by the government is what has given the impetus to others to encroach on the lands.
He therefore called on the government to help them secure their land just as other family lands which hitherto belonged to the government but weregiven back to its rightful owners.
He also said the families are specifically calling on the President to intervene due to his family’s previous relationship with their forefathers.
Mr Nii Amo-Dodoo indicated that the current president’s father, the late Edward Akufo-Addo was the original lawyer of Nii Dodoo Kobla as well as some other family heads in the Pokuase enclave.
“We call on His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, whose father H.E Edward Akufo Addo of Kwakwaduam chambers was the original lawyer of the Nii Dodoo Kobla….who fought for us in the law courts from 1947 to 1952 to establish that these lands are not stool lands but family lands to release the lands to the allodial owners as it will just be a continuity of his father’s legacy, this is our humble plea,” the Principal Family Elder said.
Mr Nii Amo-Dodoo said the seven families are law abiding citizens and hence will not apply force in getting their lands back as others may have done.
He said the family will apply all lawful means including the organisation of press conferences, demonstrations and their voting power to get their lands back.
“…We are going to resort to all legal means at our disposal to back our land.”
