Abu M. Monor
In a press conference held on Tuesday, August 15th, the Odai Ntow family made grave allegations against the Land Commission and its staff. While acknowledging the positive work being carried out by the institution, the family highlighted instances of what they believe to be disservices and illegal activities within the organization.
The Odai Ntow family accused the Land Commission, its staff, and certain individuals of perpetrating fraudulent activities, including issuing registration certificates for lands owned by the Nii Odai Ntow family without their consent. They claimed that some binding court judgments in favour of their family were illegally removed and replaced with declarations by unauthorized individuals.
Specifically, the family pointed to the case of a land that they had obtained a court judgment on in 1980. They alleged that the Land Commission issued a registration certificate for this land to the Okaija Gbeke family without legal permission, despite attempts to rectify this situation.
The press conference also referenced a consolidated case, “Nii Ngleshie Addy Vrs. Tettey Iddrisu, Captain Salifu Vrs. John Armah Mensah, TT Mensah (Substituted by Moses Tawiah Aryee) and Asafoatse Amarlai,” in which the Court had ordered the Land Commission to expunge a fraudulent land certificate. The family accused the Land Commission of failing to comply with this court order despite their efforts.
Furthermore, the Odai Ntow family condemned recent attempts by certain individuals, including the Lands Commission, to illegally re-demarcate their land boundaries without lawful authority.
The family appealed to various authorities, including the Inspector General of Police, the Chief Justice, and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, to address the issues they raised. They called for assistance from the Ghana Police Service in executing court judgments and orders in their favour.
The family expressed gratitude to the judiciary for their sound judgments and urged the Lands Commission staff to refrain from engaging in corrupt practices that undermine the rights of rightful landowners.
In conclusion, the Odai Ntow family informed developers on their lands to cooperate with them and regularize their documents or tenancy through the Nii Odai Ntow Customary Land Secretariat. They emphasized the importance of adhering to proper legal processes in land ownership and development.
