The Ningo-Prampram District Police Commander has expressed disgust at the wrongful deployment of some military personnel to his jurisdiction to harass and intimidate residents of New Ningo over a large tract of land in contention.
Though he did not tell the media where the soldiers were deployed from, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Issah Mohammed Cantona, Ningo-Prampram District Police Commander, said he personally went on the land to ask the soldiers to vacate the place, since their presence was affecting the peace and security of the area, but they ignored him.
"I again asked the developer to stop work on the land until the issue is appropriately addressed. But, I am surprised to hear later that several farms and buildings had been destroyed in the area," DSP Cantona said.
For over a month now, residents of New Ningo have been living in fear, following military presence in the town over a large parcel of land the indigents said had been forcibly taken away from them by a private developer.
The private developer, whose name is withheld for now, the indigents said, has got the military to harass and intimidate genuine property owners, mainly indigents of Ningo, thus making it impossible for even farmers to go to their farms.
The youth said the military protected the developer, who hired bulldozers to knock down buildings and destroyed a few farms on the land in contention.
In view of the intimidation in the area, the New Ningo youth, both home and abroad, at a meeting at New Ningo over the weekend, blamed their Chief, Nene Taye Djangmah IV, for not speaking out to get the developer and the military to stop the harassment and intimidation.
Addressing the media, Joseph Kwaku Narh, Assembly Member for New Ningo, said the silence of Nene Djangmah IV was a source of worry to them.
Jospeh Kwaku Narh said: "We agree the military have been trained as professional fighters, but they should still vacate our land. We confronted the developer, and he was bold to tell us that he had the money to influence decision...okay.
"We are humbly pleading with the Minister for Defence to call the military personnel out from our land," the Assembly Member said, inviting wild chanting from the youth.
When newsmen contacted the private developer's supervisor, Felix Doe, he said his boss acquired the said land from the late Chief of New Ningo, Nene Gidiglago, about 14 years ago. And so, he described the claim and outrage by the residents as unnecessary.
He, furthermore,described it as being false the claim by DSP Issah Mohammed Cantona and the residents that the developer had sent soldiers onto the land to harass or intimidate the residents.
Lastly, Felix Doe said the developer was not responsible for the demolition or destruction of buildings or farms on the tract of land, which some persons had illegally trespassed.
When the media reached the Chief of New Ningo, Nene Teye Djangmah IV, on the matter, he said the transaction was made between the developer and his predecessor, Nene Gidiglago.
That notwithstanding, Nene Djangmah IV told the media that he had tried to bring the youth and the developer to the negotiation table for peace to prevail, "but the youth say they want the developer to quit the land. It is a difficult situation now."
Nene Teye Djangmah IV also confirmed that here were some military personnel in the area, whose presence had continued to intimidate, especially, the elderly and pupils.
When The Chronicle contacted the Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Colonel Aggrey Qauarshie, on whether the GAF deployed the military personnel to guard the New Ningo private developer, be said: "I have made some checks, but they all say they have not deployed any soldiers in the area. I will be grateful if the police can arrest those guys, so we can know where they are coming from."
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