Tension is growing in Drobo and Japekrom following the demolishing of seven buildings with notice to demolish about 300 others at Danyame, a suburb of Drobo.
The chiefs and residents of Drobo allege that, people from the Japekrom Traditional Council ordered bandits with guns to carry out the demolishing on August 27, 2023, on an alleged litigated land between the two towns.
They say they have lost trust in the police and will henceforth protect their lives and properties against invasion and unwarranted provocation by anyone from Japekrom.
There are fears the situation, if not checked, could revive the old-age conflict between the two towns in the Jaman South Municipality of the Bono Region.
A curfew placed on these towns some years ago after a deadly clash is yet to be officially lifted.
Addressing the media at his palace, the Paramount chief of Drobo, Okokyeredom Sakyi Ako II, described the demolishing as an illegal exercise allegedly led and supervised by one Dr. Agyei Henneh, the Atipimhene of the Japekrom Traditional Area.
“When a citizen took his phone to report, one of the gangsters wearing a mask ordered him to put the phone in his pocket or else he would shoot him”, he narrated.
He alleged that, the Police failed to respond to distress calls until after the demolishing to rescue the operators of the caterpillar and the low loader from being attacked by a growing mob.
“If the demolishing was legal, why was it not supervised by any law enforcement agency but rather supervised by people wearing masks to hide their identity”, he quizzed.
The chief further claimed the lack of transparency on the part of the Municipal Security Council and the Police to make public all the four people they claim to have arrested and been prosecuted heightens their suspicions of their involvement.
Okokyeredom Sakyi Ako II said all the unwarranted invasions are emanating from a false interpretation by the Japekrom Council that they have been giving allodia rights in the 2015 Supreme Court judgment.
“We are reminding them that the Supreme Court gave possessory rights over the lands to Drobo”, he said, adding that Japekrom contested the judgment and lost.
“So I am hereby calling on the Bono Regional Minister to call the MUSEC to order so that sanity can prevail. If not, if there is any breakout of violence, they should not point fingers at Drobo”, he warned.
While assuring the people of Drobo of protecting them and their properties, he called on the government and all peace-loving Ghanaians to condemn the unwarranted provocations and invasions by Japekrom.
Joy News’ visit to Danyame indicated that, some of the demolished buildings were fully completed houses, with one occupied by a tenant. The roofing sheets, blocks, doors and other components of the houses were irredeemable.
Also, there were notices on other buildings requesting property owners to provide documents to the Mpuasu Japekrom Customary Stool Lands office at Japekrom before September 29, 2023.
Some residents who witnessed the demolishing said they now live in fear and called for the government’s intervention to protect them in the current economic crunch.