Residents of Okantah-Odumase, a farming community near Nsawam in the Eastern Region, have appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for police protection.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, after a peaceful demonstration within the community, the residents called for police protection to stop the invasion of estate developers and land guards on their farms.

Mr Ebenezer Asamoah, the Spokesman for the community, said some Estate Developers had engaged land guards who go around the community wielding dangerous weapons and destroying the farms of residents.

“The land guards armed with guns and other dangerous weapons have destroyed about 20 acres of farmlands with foodstuffs such as cassava, plantains, cocoyam and palm nut trees growing on them,” he said.

He said the developers had also encroached on a land that had been demarcated for the construction of school projects, markets and other developmental projects to uplift the phase of the town.

Asamoah said that because of their presence in the community and their sporadic shooting at night, women find it difficult to go to their farms as well as children, to attend school, which creates a lot of fear and panic in the community.