Transferring any portion of Achimota Forest Reserve to Owoo family will be a grave injustice to people of Osu
Henrietta Afful
By Rachel Kakraba
Head of Nii Odoi Kwao Family of Osu, Nii Odoi Kwao has accused the Nii Odoitso Odoi Kwao, family of La, for hijacking land documents of Nii Odoi Kwao family of Osu to engage in the indiscriminate sale of lands.
The lands which he says are located at prime areas in Accra, are properties of the Nii Odoi Kwao family adding the family has not been successful in pursuing cases against the Nii Odoitso Odoi Kwao family because they usually pay their way through.
Nii Odoi Kwao said the family has petitioned the Special Prosecutor in some of the cases but that has not yielded much.
“We own the most prime lands in Accra so most government acquired lands belong to us. You can talk of the European residential extensions acquisition, we can talk about the Kanda acquisition, we can talk of the Nima Police Station acquisition, we can talk of the Hausa reserve acquisition, the Kawukudi area, Roman Ridge, infact as for the Dzorwulu our ancestors said it is a receptacle for the Accra region and therefore no settlement should be made there. So we have the largest land in the city of Accra. This group called the Odoitso Odoi Kwao have hijacked our documents and that is what they are using to sell land in Accra. In Fact we started battling them long ago, with everywhere that we go because they have got cheap money they are able to get their way”
Nii Odoi Kwao was speaking at a news conference in Accra.
He said that currently, the courts are overwhelmed with land litigation issues as a result of some of the actions by the Odoitso Odoi Kwao family.
“They still continue to take people to Court, our Courts presently are inundated with cases that this Nii Odoitso Odoi Kwao had brought to people”.
“This Nii Odoitso Odoi Kwao, we suspect that they are the same group or a counterpart group behind the Owoo family whom this Achimota forest land release is going to and we are saying that the government should find them and prosecute them, he added.
Nii Odoi Kwao alleged the demolition of the Bulgarian Embassy was carried out by the Nii Odoitso Odoi Kwao and gave hints of many of such unauthorized demolition to be carried out by the family.
“Apart from the fact that the Nii Odoitso Odoi Kwao are committing atrocities to us and the Nii Odoi Kwao family, they are doing it to others as well. This recent Bulgarian Embassy row is from them and more rows are coming because they have used this name and our previous judgment to even cease property of the Ivorian Ambassador in Cantonments”.
Touching on the recent Achimota Forest Land reserve brouhaha, he said any attempts by the government to transfer the said land to the Owoo family will be a grave injustice against the people of Osu especially when a competent Court of jurisdiction has ruled and dismissed such claims.
Nii Odoi Kwao called for the arrest of MP for Odododiodiodoo, Nii Lante Vanderpuye and one Lawyer John Adusei for making claims the Achimota Forest Reserve Land belongs to the Owoo family. He said such claims are nothing but fraud and have no basis which must be disregarded.
“There’s a Lawyer called John Adusei who said he’s speaking on behalf of the Owoo family of Osu. Secondly, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, Member of Parliament for Odododiodiodoo in Accra here, spoke that he is part of the petition for the land to be given. We the Odoi Kwao family are saying that the Owoo family of Osu to whom the land was purported to have been given to are scammers. They are criminals and therefore they have to be prosecuted.”
Nii Odoi Kwao maintained the land in question is the property of the Nii Odoi Kwao family of Osu and cautioned individuals with interest in the land to be cautious.
He said the Minister of Land and Natural Resource has been petitioned to look into the case.
Samuel Abu Jinapor, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.
“Thankfully Nii Kwabema Bonney the Osu Alata Mantse on behalf of the people of Osu and the Osu Traditional Council have petitioned the Lands and Natural Resources Minister on the Achimota Forest Reserve saga, allodial owners are the Osu people. He has attached all the relevant copies to it showing that there’s no one else to be compensated or bequeathed any land except the people of Osu”.
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament, MP, for Odododiodio, Nii Lantey Vanderpayue in an interview with GBC News raised questions with the issues from the Press Conference and said ”organizers of the purported news conference are the scam”.
