Kumasi, June 29, GNA - Some citizens of Kwamo in the Ejisu-Juaben District of the Ashanti have appealed to the Inspector General of Police and the Ashanti Regional Security Council to halt the activities of land guards who are harassing people in the town A statement issued in Kumasi and signed on behalf of the group by Mr Kofi Asante said the activities of the land guards have become a major threat to the people, especially private land developers It said the land guards have been demanding between three to eight million cedis from innocent developers before they were allowed to continue with their projects.

The statement urged the security agencies to take immediate steps to halt the activities of the land guards to prevent possible bloody confrontation between them and citizens of the town. When Mr Frank Adu Poku, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander was contacted, he said he was not aware of the existence of land guards in the region, let alone at Kwamo.

Mr. Peter Baba, the Ejisu-Juaben District Police Commander, said there were no land guards at Kwamo and that it was citizens of Kwamo who were harassing developers. He explained that following the ruling by Otumfuo Osei Tutu 11, the Asantehene, in the land dispute between Adako-Jachie and Kwamo in favour of the former, some Kwamo citizens have been harassing developers.

After the ruling, the chief of Adako-Jachie asked all those who bought plots on the disputed land to bring their documents to him to be regularised. He said that some people from Kwamo have taken advantage of this and were demanding money from the developers and that it was not the work of so called land guards.