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No one is above the laws of Ghana, not even politicians or party flagbearers; this is what Nii Amarh Sogbla Family of Haatso-Osu, custodians of Haatso lands, is telling founder and leader of the All People's Congress (APC), Hassan Ayariga.

Hassan Ayariga is reported to have acquired about 40 acres of land belonging to the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) in the Haatso area.

Following reports, the APC leader is said to have acquired the land without permit and cautioned by the land owners to vacate the vicinity but he refused, hence going ahead to build a surrouding wall around the vast portion of his land.

This alleged blatant disregard to the directives by the Land Commission by Hassan Ayariga led some Police personnel and land guards to demolish the wall on Friday, July 27, 2018; after several warnings to him to quit building.

A UTV news crew visited the site where in an interview with Hassan Ayariga, he revealed that he had acquired a permit and done nothing untoward for his project to be ruined due to the wrath of the land owners.

He pulled out documents and a cheque to corroborate his land acquisition.

But addressing the issues, the Nii Amarh Sogbla Family has stated categorically that Mr. Ayariga encroached on the land with "impunity" despite attempts by the Police to stop any developments on the said parcel of land.

In a statement copied to Peacefmonline.com and signed by the Chief of Haatso, Nii Amarh Sogbla IV, Nii Amarh Sogbla Family reveals they are the legal owners of the land and has not leased it out to Hassan Ayariga, therefore denying his claims of acquistion of the land.

"The state of encroachment has intensified with personalities such as Hassan Ayariga taking more than 40 acres of the land with impunity and building fence wall around it even though he was instructed by the Police to stop any developments on the said parcel of land due to some reports that were made to the Police.

"...there has been the emergence of armed land guards in the area protecting these unlawful developments and threatening the lives of the Nii Amarh Sogbla family members and the people of Haatso. In two separate site visits by the Police, several persons were arrested on the site including Hassan Ayariga. These people are yet to be properly charged and prosecuted", the statement read.

Setting the record straight, the Nii Amarh Sogbla Family noted that "the said Haatso portion of the State land for the GAEC is the ancestral land of the Nii Amarh Sogbla Family of Haatso-Osu, the allodia of all Haatso lands. We wish to state categorically that we have not sold any parcel of land falling in the area marked out by E.I 75 of 1973 to any individual or organization. In the year 1973, the Government of Ghana via an Executive Instrument, E.I 75 of 1973 proposed and started the process of acquisition of 2002.58 acres of land for the generation of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. There were several families whose lands formed part of the said 2002.58 acres which was acquired by the government for the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission. The Nii Amarh Sogbla Family of Haatso-Osu, had 104.38 acres of their land forming part of the 2002.58 proposed acquisition. E.I 75 was published in the year 1973”.

They further revealed that the government has failed to pay compensations to the families they acquired the lands from “45 years on. During the early 1990’s, the management of Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) reviewed the southern area and proposed releasing some areas mainly because compensation had not been paid to the land owners and also because of heavy encroachment. The review was done after various discussions and site inspection involving all the stakeholders including GAEC, Land owners, Ga District Assembly, Lands Commission Officers and the members of the Permanent Site Advisory Committee. As part of the review, 104.38 acres northeastern area east of the stream which belongs to Nii Amarh Sogbla family of Haatso was to be released to the owners (Haatso). This statement is captured in the report by District Director, Town and Country Planning Department of the Ga District Assembly”.

They added that they have done everything possible to keep encroachers like Hassan Ayariga off their property and in 2017 sought an order of mandamus to register in the heads of these encroachers who they owners of the land are but to no avail.

“It is sad to note that despite the court ruling and the restrain from the Nii Amarh Sogbla family, some persons continue to steal and encroach on the Haatso portion of the GAEC acquisition even though it is a State land until the legal and official release is done. We have warned the people several times but our warnings have fallen on deaf ears”.

According to them, their land stretches from “all that tract of land with the village of Haatso therein lying north of the University of Ghana…to cross the Madina-Kwabenya road again until it meets the old Aburi road, now the Accra Agbogba motor road and goes north-eastwards to the point of commencement”.

They further accused authorities of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission both present and past of their involvement in the unlawful sales of their lands.

“We wish to state categorically that the State institution that is the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission has failed to utilize and protect the land that was acquired for them and that some Directors both present and past have been involved in the unlawful sales and encroachment of the Haatso portion of the State acquisition. The Lands Commission has been of immense assistance to ward off the encroachers but they need more help from the State institution that has been tasked to protect lives and property in the country.

“We, the people of Haatso, are law abiding citizens and have waited for about 45 years for the government to either release our land to us or pay us the appropriate compensation”.

They therefore are calling on the appropriate State authorities to charge and prosecute offenders like the APC leader, Hassan Ayariga, and ensure they face the full rigors of the law.

“All persons are equal and no one is above the law”, they stressed in the statement which also purports in its heading that Mr. Ayariga pulled a gun on workers of Ga East Assembly as it read “Stealing and unlawful encroachment of Haatso portion of State lands acquired for the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission via Executive Instrument (E.I) 75 of 1993 and matters arising leading to Hassan Ayariga pulling gun on workers of Ga East Assembly and Directors of Ghana Atomic Energy Commission”.

Below are land claim documents by the Nii Amarh Sogbla Family: