The Accra High Court, Human Rights Division, has asked Markin Hills Limited, a property company, to stop demolishing buildings on a land at Otinibi.
This follows an application by one Kwasi Adarkwa and 13 others, all owners of properties on said land asking the court in an application to restrain Markin Hills Limited and five others from further demolitions on and interfering with the disputed land at Otinibi.
The restraining order, which was filed on October 17, 2019, was to ward off Markin Hills Limited, Dan KojoGyampaMarkin, Ghana Armed Forces, Land Commission, Ministry of Defence and the Attorney General and their agents and assigns from undertaking any projects on the said lands until final determination of the case by the court.
“It is hereby ordered that Markin Hills Limited, Dan KojoGyampaMarkin and the Armed Forces being the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively, their agents, assigns, privies and all other persons claiming through them be restrained from interfering or dealing in any way with the plaintiffs’ ownership and possession and control of the disputed land by way of demolishing, developing, selling, alienating and transferring same,” the order stated.
Speaking to the DAILY HERITAGE after the order, MrKwasiAdarkwa said even though the order had been served on the plaintiffs, the soldiers were still on site protecting the same land on which the court has placed an injunction.
MrAdarkwasaid “we don’t know whether Markins Hills Limited, Dan KojoGyampaMarkin and the Armed Forces are above the law because they still have possession of the land.”
“We are not surprised about the latest development because top government officials and others in current administration are members of the Board of the Markin Hills Limited and therefore can do what they like at the expense of the masses,” he stated.
Background
It would be recalled that on September 18, 2019, the DAILY HERITAGE made a front page publication captioned; “Soldiers invade Otinibi, bulldozing property. While owners look on helplessly,” and the story depicted the daily suffering residents received at the hands of soldiers wielding guns and protecting builders constructing a fence wall round the already developed land in the area with the aim that after the fence wall, they would raze down everything on the land.
A month after the publication, Markin Hills Limited went ahead with demolitions, rendering people homeless, hence the court action. All effort to speak to Markin Hills Limited prove futile.
Source:Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM Philip Antoh