Crime & Punishment of Sunday, 31 May 2020

Source: dailymailgh.com

Police SWAT team grabs 16 notorious land guards at Pantang

The leader of the team being questioned at the time of the arrest The leader of the team being questioned at the time of the arrest

A destooled Chief of Osu, Nii Jata, known in private life as Illa was last Saturday arrested by the police Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Team for leading a group of 16 armed land-guards to terrorize and attack landowners at Pantang in Accra.

The gang which is believed to be hired thugs from CPS Security Services, according to information were operating on the orders of one Sarah Forkuo, who is laying claim over portions of the Pantang lands.

The recent disturbances on a Pantang Hospital land leading to the arrest of six workers of Jeleel Company was orchestrated by the same Forkuo, daughter of the Managing Director of Osamanpa Estate Developers.

According to Heads and Lawful Representatives of the Afutu Brempong family of Teshie, Forkuo’s land-guards have over the period been harassing and attacking lawful owners on the land but unfortunately, workers and servants of the landowners are mostly arrested and branded as land-guards.

Meanwhile, last Saturday, the SWAT Team was notified about another operation being carried out by the group of land-guards from CPS Security Services led by Illa.

The SWAT Team which responded swiftly to the information it received, arrested 16 persons including Illa, the leader and taken to the Adentan Divisional Police Station.

Information gathered from police sources revealed that the suspects attempted to break cells hence the Adentan Police called for reinforcement and highly armed security police unit force was dispatched to the station to transport the suspects to various police cells in Accra.

Their attempt to break cell was borne out of the belief that they have a good relationship with the Adentan Commander and the Regional Commanders.

It would be recalled that on Friday, April 17, 2020, some persons including a Warrant Officer (WO) of the Ghana Army, Peter Nimo and three civilian employees of the Ghana Army Corp of Engineers led by Sarah Ama Forkuo stormed the Pantang Hospital land being developed by Jeleel Company Limited and demolished buildings valued in excess of one million Ghana Cedis without any Court Order.

The trespassers, according to information went to the area with a grader and razed down building properties claiming they were doing so on the orders of the Nii Afutu Brempong Family.

Following the complaint, the Adenta Divisional Police arrested both the trespassers and officers of the Jeleel Company Limited who had gone to the land to resist the trespassers from further causing harm.

It later emerged that the attackers were not working for the Nii Afutu Brempong Family as they claimed.

The family came out to declare that neither Sarah Ama Forkuo nor her Mother, CEO of Osamanpa Estate Company was authorized to litigate over the land on the family’s behalf and that any attempts by them to claim any lands in that area are fraudulent and constitute breaches of the peace in that area.

However, the recent arrest by the SWAT team came as a relief to the Nii Afutu Brempong Family and the Jeleel Company who have constantly pursued the police service to rid the area of land-guards so as to enable peace rein in the community.