The Police Administration has refuted a claim by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, at a Parliamentary Committee meeting on July 10, 2023 the Police Service procures the services of land guards to reclaim and protect its lands.
The Administration categorically stated that this claim is, false baseless and unfounded, and should be treated with the contempt it deserves.
“The Police Service has not on any occasion engaged the services of languards to reclaim or protect its lands. In fact, on the contrary, the Service has in recent times intensified its anti-languard operations in communities affected by the activities of these landguards and this renewed effort will not stop until perpetrators of such illegal activities are brought to justice.
“We wish to assure the public that the Police Service working in partnership with other security agencies, remains committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring public safety and security at all times; and we will continue to count on the support of the good people of Ghana in this regard.”
On Monday, July 17, the Member of Parliament for Tamale North Alhassan Suhuyini said that the Chief Director of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources Professor Patrick Agbesinyale has revealed that a land guard has been contracted to protect state lands.
Suhiyini said this came to light during an engagement that the Lands and Forestry Committee of Parliament had with the Ministry.
Speaking to journalists in Parliament on Monday, July 17, he raised concerns against dealing with a person whose activities have been outlawed.
He also said the Committee is requesting to know the terms and conditions of the said contract.
“In our engagement, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources the Chief Director revealed, shockingly, that the Ministry has resorted to engaging a land guard to retrieve and protect government lands.
“Mind you, these are lands that are held on behalf of the people of Ghana and vested in the President to protect it. I am sure that the framers of the Constitution are aware that the president is the Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and he is seized with the capacity to ensure that these lands are protected for our common use, that is why the lands are vested in the president, and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is the Ministry tasked with the responsibility of overseeing these lands.
“So for the Ministry to tell us the lack of capacity of the state to protect these lands that are put in trust but to resort to the services of people whose activities have been outlawed for the protection of these lands came to us as a surprise.
“We have therefore demanded from the Ministry the terms and conditions of that unholy relationship between the Ministry and this land guard and his institution. We cannot pass laws that we do not intend to keep. The other shocking part of this revelation was that, according to the Chief Director, it is not only the Ministry that contracted the services of this land guard but also the Ghana Armed Forces and the Police depend on the services of this land guard to protect lands that are under their care.
“If the Ghana Armed Forces and the Police cannot protect their own lands and have to resort to the use of land guards what is the fate of the common Ghanaian who wants to acquire lands and if faced with the challenge of land guards? What was again scandalous was the revelation by Chief Director that this person that is engaged actually has a set-up that the state cannot compete with.”
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has also described as false allegations that landguards are employed to protect lands of the military.
This was contained in a statement issued on Monday, July 17 under the signature of Brigadier-General Emmanuel Aggrey-Quashie, the Director General of Public Relations of GAF.
“It is unimaginable that GAF cannot protect its own lands but rather indulge in an illegality by relying on the services of land guards, a proscribed activity,” the statement said.
“GAF deems it as regrettable that news reports emanated from unsubstantiated allegations made by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Prof Patrick Agbesinyale at a Parliamentary Committee meeting on 10 July 2023.
“We wish to stress that this allegation which was repeated by Hon Alhassan Suhuyini, Member of Parliament for Tamale North to the media is false and should be ignored.”
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources also denied procuring the service of land guards for its operations.