Ho, Jan. 22, GNA- Mr Gideon Kwesi Akator, a poultry farmer in Ho on Thursday appealed to the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) to help execute a High Court judgement in 1966 restoring the late father’s land at Agotime-Kpetoe to him.
He told the Commission that the land was sold to one Mr. S.Y Atigah by some family members while his father was in exile in Togo. Mr Akator also prayed the Commission to help evict the late Mr Atigah’s children from the land so as to save the family from any potential protracted litigation to secure such eviction.
Mr Akator said the late Rear-Admiral Joy Amedume, who was a nephew to Mr Atigah, used his official position and the cover of the then government to by-pass the Court’s decision and took over the land, which he turned over to his late uncle.
He said while compensation was paid on the crops then on the land, no compensation was paid on the land itself.
The petitioner explained that before the takeover, Mr Atigah was negotiating with his father with the help of the late Colonel John Kabore, then Volta Regional Minister, to be allowed to till the land and earn income to pay for a loan he had contracted from the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) to purchase the land.
Mr Akator said the ADB later said it had no interest in the land and therefore did not have any documents relating to any such transaction.
Mr Akator said the land had now become the inheritance of Mr Atigah’s children.
He said his father, who died in 1988, was molested by some policemen, led by one Inspector Kalitsi, when he went to retrieve the keys his buildings on the land.
Asked by Professor Henrietta Mensa Bonsu, a member of the Commission, whether he pursued the matter with the coming into effect of the 1992 Constitution, Mr Akator said he did so through his Lawyer, one Mr Agbesi of the Afadjato Chambers without success.
Mr Justice Amuah-Sekyi, Chairman of the Commission said it was interesting that the land was taken over by government when the High Court had decided in favour of the Plaintiff.
“The Commission would consider your case”, he said.
Source: GhanaWeb
