The chiefs and people of La, specifically the Abafum Djaase, are furious over what they say is the illegal annexation of their land by the Executive Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo.

According to them, Nana Asante Bediatuo, who owns Sandbox Beach Resort, is illegally claiming title to a parcel of land close to the resort.

They have accused him of pulling down a fence wall around the disputed property.

The leader of the Abafum delegation, Mr Jeffrey Tetteh, speaking at a press conference in Accra, cautioned Mr Bediatuo to stay off the said property or they will advise themselves.

He said: “You will recall in 2016, the people of La, with the full support of the entire GaDangme people, and prior to the general elections, staged a series of agitations to demand the release of their lands from the then-administration.

“When the government called our bluff, history took its course.”

“You will recall, once again, from the 10th to the 25th of August this year, a group from the Akyem state, led by one Nana Sarpong Kumankuma, claiming to be the Mponuahene of Apedwa, attempted to raid about 25 Ga villages with the support of the Ghana Army when they descended on the village of Dome Faase. It took the courage of the people to drag them out with fury.”

He added, “Just yesterday, 29th September 2020, at about 7 pm, one Nana Asante Bediatuo, who happens to be the Executive Secretary to the President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and also an Akyem, once again, descended on La lands with impunity in the company of his wife or girlfriend, Sarah Femi Adetola, and some weapon-bearing thugs and destroyed a concrete wall that has just been constructed by the Abafum people of La on their land.”

“Bediatuo, who acquired the Sandbox Beach Resort from one Lee Ocran, son of Ghana’s former Education Minister and diplomat, Ambassador Lee Ocran of blessed memory, in a transaction not recognised and formalised by the Abafum people and for that matter the La state, blatantly said last night that he, Bediatuo, was going to use state machinery under this NPP government to annex a parcel of land adjacent the Sandbox Beach Resort.”

“Clearly, Bediatuo appears to have some powers that make him superhuman for which reason he wants to touch our very souls. It must be stated clearly that there are people in La and for that matter the entire GaDangme region, who are equally enlightened to know what the law says.This land, in question, is part of a land acquired by the state in 1902 for coconut plantation,” he stated.

“The lease had a tenure of 100 years ending in 2002 and this land, part of which was used for South La estate, is also part of the lands whose release we have been advocating and demanding government to release.”

“If Bediatuo, a lawyer of his stature, can say such things as using the power of government to annex the land at the expense of the people of La, then God have mercy on all of us,” Tetteh said.

“GaDangme lands are for GaDangme people and we expect the president, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to call his Executive Secretary to order.”

“We have kept quiet over the Sandbox transaction not because we are fools but our proverbial hospitality should not be taken for granted, else we will be provoked. We, the Abafum people, La people and GaDangme people, are by this press conference, telling the superhuman Bediatuo to first fix the wall he asked his thugs to destroy and secondly, to keep off the said land in his own interest,” he declared.

“This is not a threat but a very good promise. If he fails to keep off the land, he definitely wants us to take our next line of action,” Jeffrey Tetteh lamented.