<<Print>>

After a group of irate youth suspected to be land guards armed with guns on December Thursday 18, 2014 attacked and vandalized the properties at the Opeikuma Chief�s palace, in the Awuku Senya East District of the Central Region, the Chief of the area, Nana Opei Mensah II had disclosed that he has been living in fear since then. According to the chief who was nearly shot, he had abandoned his residence at Awutu-Opeikuma, a farming community in the Central region for fear of being killed by the hired land guards. �Right now, I am afraid. I cannot even come to sleep in my house at Opeikuma because the hired land guards are still looking for me. I am scared the thugs will come after me and kill me,� Nana Opei Mensah II told Today. Narrating his ordeal to Today in an exclusive interview, the obviously worried Nana Opei Mensah II lamented that the land guards armed with guns attacked and shot people on sight over ownership of stool lands which are in dispute. Nana Opei Mensah II who is currently seeking asylum in a nearby community in Awutu East municipality said the �gangsters� fired gun shots which hit one of his younger brothers and several others during the raid. Nana Opei Mensah II recounted the attack on his palace was as a result of his protest to the beating of some of his people by the land guards whom he ordered to guard the Opeikuma Stool land which had been earmarked for social and infrastructural projects. The chief indicated that the attack was the third in recent times visited on him and the people of Opeikuma. �Their target was to kill me (Nana Opeikuma Mensah II) but my elders and people managed to hide me. They have vandalized properties in my palace and have vowed to replicate it until we comply,� he added. He revealed that the land guards who were mostly well built young men were allegedly armed with guns and cutlasses and moved in groups were ready to deal with anyone who attempted to disobey or challenge them. To this end Nana Opei Mensah appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr. Mohammed Alhassan to step up efforts to beef up a 24-hour security for him both at home and his office.