[ 2016-12-13 ]

Supreme Court warns encroaches over Airport Hills lands
The alleged attempt by the Numo Mmashie Family to
take over part of the Airport Hills Lands as well
as some seventy towns and villages from Peduase to
the Gulf of Guinea suffered a fatal blow in the
Supreme Court (SC) on 30th November, 2016.

The Supreme Court in its ruling on 30th November,
2016 on an Order of Certiorari in the case of the
Republic versus High Court (Land Division), ex
parte Finali Ltd., (Nii Adjetey Akuffo –
Interested Party), granted Finali’s application
for certiorari and quashed both the writ of
possession dated April 5, 2016 and the order to
the Ghana Police Service to give assistance to the
interested party (the Numo Nmashie Family).

Both orders were issued by the High Court (Land
Division) in favour of the Numo Nmashie Family to
execute the writ of possession over seventy towns
and villages stretching from Peduase to the Gulf
of Guinea.

Finali’s Application for Certiorari became
necessary when in July 2016 Airport Hills was
badly disturbed by a large aggressive crowd
comprising the Numo Nmashie Family agents and
supporters who entered onto part of Finali Ltd.,
Airport Hills land, claiming that the High Court,
Accra (Land Division), had granted them a writ of
possession to take over seventy (70) towns and
villages in a map of towns and villages, covering
from Peduase in the Eastern Region through Legon
to the Spintex Road (Marty Tsuru) and beyond to
the Gulf of Guinea.

What led to this case was that following the
compulsory acquisition of the land situated at
Adjancote in 1973 for a television station for the
Ghana Broadcasting Corporation under the State
Lands Act of 1962, rival claims for compensation
were made by three claimants including the Numo
Nmashie Family. The Land Court Accra declared the
Brekusuhene, one of the rival claimants, as
entitled to be paid compensation.

On appeal the Court of Appeal on 15 December, 1982
held that the Numo Nmashie family had established
a better claim to the payment of compensation for
the land compulsorily acquired for the television
station for the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation at
Adjancote.

Some thirty four years later, which was on 12
February, 2016 the Numo Nmashie Family went to the
High Court, Accra (Land Division), claiming that
by reason of the Court of Appeal decision which
held that the Numo Nmashie Family were better
entitled to be paid compensation for the land
compulsorily acquired for the television station
for the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation at
Adjancote, they were entitled to recover
possession of not only Adjancote but also seventy
villages and towns from Peduase to the Gulf of
Guinea.

These villages and towns include Peduase, Obuom,
Nsakye, Agyemanti, Brofesa, Brekusu, Teiman,
Papao, Ogbodzo, Mpehuasem, Otinshi, La-Bawaleshie,
Agiringanor, Okpoi Gonno, Oyarifa, Pantan,
Ashonman, Agbogba, Adenta, Madina, Nkwatanang,
Ashale-Botwe, Martey-Tsuru, Teshie and Kpeshie
Ridge.

The High Court therefore granted Numo Nmashie
family an order for a writ of possession to be
issued to enable them recover the seventy villages
and towns listed by the Numo Nmashie Family.

It was on the basis that the Numo Nmashie Family
with the assistance of the police, who were
directed by an order from the High Court, drove in
bulldozers to demarcate and sell Finali’s lands
to anybody who was willing to buy.

Source - Today Ghana

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