By Bernice Bessey
A supposedly peaceful meeting turned chaotic, when a group of macho men believed to be land guards, appeared from nowhere and pounced on residents of Kasoa Iron City, scattering arranged and occupied chairs, canopies, speakers, tables, documents and cables meant for the gathering.
The only reason given by the macho men was that the gathering had called on the Awutu Ofankor Chief to pure libation on land that does not fall within their jurisdiction.
Since there were no security personnel present at the said meeting, machetes and guns were used by the macho men to scare away the residents last Saturday, April 11, 2015.
However, three policemen later came in to rescue the situation, with no one arrested and injured.
The Chairman of the residents association, Kawku Obeng Mensah, after all was calm, told media present at the grounds that the incident was an occasional phenomena and daily ordeal the residents go through at the hands of these macho men.
He said numerous letters had been written to the various quarters of the state machinery, namely the Ngleshie Amanfro Divisional Stool, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Armed Forces, Ga South Municipal Assembly, Weija and Awutu Senya East Municipal assemblies, and Kasoa Assembly.
Also, the association petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Chief Justice, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, and Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs concerning this issue, but all to no avail.
The purpose of the meeting
The residents, who are now occupying a total of 409.95 acres of land acquired initially by the government in 1993 for irrigation purposes, and later given to the Central Mechanics and Spare Parts Dealers Association (CEMSDA) to relocate from their present occupancy, Kokomkpe, said it was in contention between the Awutu Ofankor and Ngleshi Amanfro stools, Ga South Municipal and Awutu Senya Municipal assemblies.
The unsettled land and boundary dispute has, however, left residents to the mercy and staggering payment of double levies to both factions.
Current among the levies is a regularisation fee of amount of GH¢500 being demanded by the Ngleshi Amanfro Stool from the residents.
The Chairman added that because of the dispute in the area, they are not receiving any subvention from the government for road, electricity, water, schools, and most importantly, security.
“Armed robbers are terrorising the residents of Iron City, and the Kasoa Police Command has not taken any steps to protect the security of the people and property.
“They claim that the area does not fall under their jurisdiction, while their officers are housed by CEMSDA at no cost,” he said.
Mr. Mensah, hammering on the challenges in the area, added that the situation is even worse during elections time, adding that some votes are collated into the Weija electoral area and others to Kasoa.
The residents association, on a strong note, appealed to the Interior Minister and the government to foster a peace process in the settling of the boundary dispute between Greater Accra and the Central Region for a peaceful coexistence.
They also warned to result to their own protection if the government and the security agencies in this light fail to treat their concerns with urgency.