Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has commended the Minister for Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, for his swift action against attempts by some individuals to forcibly and illegally take over Parks and Gardens land at Cantonments in Accra.

The private developers, Dani Ike, had falsely claimed ownership of the land and subsequently placed some containers on it to indicate their ownership and plans to develop the land.

The Minister had the containers removed from the land and followed up in court when the claimant sued. The court dismissed the case of the developers (Dani Ike) due to lack of documentation and instructed them to sue properly with the required documents.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who had initially raised the issue of attempts to appropriate Parks and Gardens Lands, took to social media to praise the Minister for his swift action.

"My field checks earlier today confirm that the Local Government Minister has kept his word by removing Dani Ike’s containers on Parks and Gardens land in Cantonments following his pledge in Parliament when he responded to my urgent questions.

The shadowy Dani Ike Estate Developers, led by one Rev. Ezekiel, can now retrieve their removed containers and are free to seek a refund from their collaborators in government whom they claim to have paid."

It is a positive development that the Local Government Minister, Hon. Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, has chosen to patriotically stand with Ghanaians fighting State Capture," Okudzeto Ablakwa stated.

The Minister of Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development had previously indicated in Parliament that he was taking steps to protect all government lands under his ministry, especially those of the Department of Parks and Gardens in Accra.

"Currently, as a Minister, I am still pursuing the matter and engaging all stakeholders to protect and secure titles of those that do not have or cannot be traced at the Lands Commission... I wish to state that the land in question [the land being claimed by Dan Ike] has a valid Certificate of Allocation dated 2nd October 1952 to the Department of Parks and Gardens," he had assured in Parliament on Thursday, July 4, 2024.

Similarly, concerning the unlawful attempts to appropriate Parks and Gardens Lands in the Upper East Region, Hon. Adjei-Mensah Korsah had confirmed that documents to the lands had been found and the false claimant notified to vacate the land.

"Regarding the Department’s land in Wa, for instance, I wish to confirm that the Certificate of Allocation dated 27th November 1975 has been retrieved from the Lands Commission. In this regard, the Ministry has served notice to reclaim the encroached lands of the Department in the Upper West Region and other areas," he had pledged in his speech.

"Mr. Speaker, I wish to assure you that the Ministry would vigorously pursue the protection of all lands belonging to the Department and ensure that no developer or individual encroaches on the said lands, except for purposes for which the Government of Ghana acquired them," he had added.