The chiefs and people of Oyarifa in the Greater Accra Region are living in fear and apprehension over a possible attackby a group of military personnel.
The fear and apprehension results from a long-existing land dispute between the chiefs and a group of military personnel.
Narrating the situation to Today, the chief of Oyarifa, Nii Odzenma Mensah, said the land dispute between the five of the six lineages of Oyarifa and the other one, Martey lineage, which seemed resolved had been re-ignited by a group of ?selfish military personnel.?
According to him, someone from the Martey family (whom he did not name) who used to work at the Lands Commission registered all the lands belonging to the six lineages of Oyarifa in 1996, without the knowledge of the other five lineages.
He disclosed that, the fellow even registered lands that do not belong to Oyarifa, such as lands at Amanfro, Ashiyie, Armahia and even government lands.
?Later on, the Martey family decided to sell the land to a group of military personnel. So the heads of the other five lineages went to court and prayed it to place an injunction on the land titles to stop the military from developing them,? he explained.
According to Nii Mensah, the court ordered the military personnel to stay off the land, ?but they defied the injunction? and destroyed buildings of residents and started to build their own on the reclaimed land.?
He disclosed that in the latter part of 2009, the group of military personnel led by a colonel (name withheld) who is now a Brigadier General, and supported by the Martey family, ?stormed the Oyarifa Township and pounced on the residents.
?They [military men] subjected us to severe, ruthless beatings with military weapons. Some of the residents suffered broken limbs, others had their teeth removed and many fled the town,? Nii Mensah recalled adding that, since that attack the town has been engulfed in anxiety that the soldiers will unexpectedly return.
Prior to this state of affairs, he said, all six lineages used to sell the lands together until the Martey family registered all the lands in their name.
Interestingly, he said, ?through the assistance of the police and other security services, we had succeeded in resolving the matter with the Martey family when the colonel led his group to molest us.?
He affirmed that the colonel, in his capacity as the head of the Military Housing Project at the time, promised to assist the Martey family get back the land title registration. ?He [even] boasted that he as a military man can overcome Oyarifa in few hours since it is a small town? And knowing how wicked the colonel is, we live in fear another brutal attack.?
According to the Chief, the military on February 19, 2013 attempted to reverse the court injunction ?but the Land Court A in Accra rejected their petition and asked them to recoil into their shells but they are adamant.?
The military, he said, owes it a duty to defend all the citizens in Ghana and not to defy court orders to defend hooligans and bullies. Their weapons are also obtained by the government and not by themselves.
He insisted that lands are governed by family heads and not by a rebellious group, hence Oyarifa lands belong to all the six lineages and not one family.
?Currently, the military personnel are building on our lands against the court order. Besides, we do not know what would happen to us when the Brigadier General returns soon from his peace mission.? the worried chief concluded.
