Minority Members of Parliament have questioned the basis upon which the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service have allegedly resorted to the services of a land guard to protect their lands.
The NDC MPs say the practice is untenable and an upfront to the very existence of the institutions mandated by law to protect lives and property.
The Deputy Ranking Member on Lands and Forestry Committee of Parliament, Alhassan Suhuyini, averred that if the institutions mandated to protect lives and property cannot even protect their own property, then ordinary citizens are not safe.
Addressing the media in Parliament on Monday, July 17, Mr Suhuyini bemoaned the lack of commitment on the part of the government to combat land guard activities.
The MP called for investigations to unravel the dealings of this notorious land guard referred to as ‘Gyato’ “whose alleged actions have led to some deaths.”
“One would have thought that with the passage of this law to outlaw land guards, our land tenure system would have been sanitized, and we would have all been hopeful that acquiring land will no longer be a matter of life and death and so it came to us as a surprise that the Ministry has resorted to contracting a land guard to protect government lands.
“The other shocking revelation according to the Chief Director is that even the Ghana Armed Forces and the Police use this same land guard to protect their lands. So, if the military and the police cannot protect their own lands and have to resort to the use of a land guard, then what will be the fate of the common Ghanaian who wants to acquire land and is faced with land guards?”
“What was again scandalous by the Chief Directors’ revelation is that this particular land guard has a set-up the state cannot compete,” he said.
The Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service have been accused of hiring a notorious land guard popularly known as ‘Gyato’ to reclaim their lands that have been encroached.
The Chief Director of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Prof Patrick Agbesinyale, made the revelation on Monday, July 10, during a meeting with Parliament’s Lands and Forestry Committee.
Prof Patrick Agbesinyale said the security agencies then apportion parts of the reclaimed lands to the land guard as payment his work. ‘Gyato’ allegedly carries out similar activities for the government according to Prof Agbesinyale.
“So, he recently reclaimed some lands for us and out of that land, we gave him 50 of 6,000 acres as payment for all his expenses. So he has the right to and sell that 50. If he is selling it, there is noise all over the place.”
“He doesn’t even sell it. He gives it out for people to develop so that he gets his share. I can give you a tall list of lands that Gyato (land guard) has claimed for us to the extent that even the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service their lands that have been encroached they hire Gyato to reclaim for them,” he claimed.
According to him, the decision not to use the police or the military in protecting and reclaiming lands was to avoid public backlash.
“I think the idea was that anytime the government apparatus; the police, military among others are seen going out there to claim lands, you know the hullabaloo and backlash the government receives.”
“So, what they do is that you would set up somebody like this and the government would literally be hiding behind it so he can reclaim government lands.”
This is in spite of the passage of the Vigilantism and Related Offenses Act, 2019(Act, 999) which clearly criminalises such activities.
Clause 7(5) of the Act says; A person shall not directly or indirectly, engage a land guard to protect or guard the property of that person or any other person. 7(6) says; a person who contravenes subsection (5) commits an offense and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not less than 10 years and not more than 15 years.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has in a statement issued on Monday, July 17, denied the allegations.
The Ministry indicated that it “does not contract the services of land guards in its operations.”
It however clarified that the Ministry through its agency, Lands Commission legally engaged the services of Aynok Holding Limited, a registered limited liability company to assist in reclaiming encroached government lands.
This engagement, according to them has been in effect since 2012.
“We wish to categorically state that Government and by extension the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources employs legal processes to reclaim all encroached state lands,” portions of the release stated.
ALSO READ: