Heavens Gate Estates Limited, an estate development company, has asked the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service to investigate a heavily armed group of land guards who have invaded its acquired lands at Apolonia near Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region.
In a petition dated 11 May 2023, the company stated that although it had reported the case to the Oyibi police, the latter was unable to take action due to the allegation that a senior police official was aware of the activities of the heavily armed land guards.
This is the complete petition.
Heavens Gate Estates Limited is a commercial real estate enterprise. In 2009, we acquired 570.06 acres of land from Appolonia Stool as part of our real estate business, registered the land with the lands commission, and were issued land title certificate number TDA.1241 Volume 019 Folio 679. Copy enclosed for your review.
We invested resources into preparing the land into semi-serviced plots by grading, demarcating, pillaring, and preparing a complete layout plan. We then began to make grants to our numerous clients, including institutions such as Judicial Ladies Association of Ghana, Atkada Company, Tema Chapter Teachers Cooperative Credit Union, etc., and over 500 individual clients, the majority of whom have begun developing the plots allocated to them.
It is instructive to note that in January 2022, the person against whom this petition is filed filed a complaint with the Visa and Documentation Fraud Unit of the Police Service at the Headquarters alleging that the Indenture signed by the late Chief of Appolonia to the Company was forged.
According to the report written by SAAYAWINE (C/SUPT. ), Director-Admin for Director-General (CID) on 11 February 2022 with v receipt number 20/594501, the complaint was investigated and it was ultimately determined that the aforementioned document was authentic and not forged. The attached report is for your review.
In January 2023, the same individuals who had submitted a similar complaint at the Police Headquarters in 2022 with the same allegations of document forgery filed a second complaint with the Greater Accra Regional Police Command. The case continues to be investigated.
However, before the case could be resolved, the petitioners (names withheld by The Chronicle) went to the site on 10th May, 2023 with approximately 50 armed land guards and four bulldozers to level all demarcations marked with pillars and destroy our clients' property.
When our attention was drawn, we immediately contacted the Oyibi Police commander, who dispatched the patrol team to make an arrest. However, to our surprise, the Director General of CID summoned the Oyibi police to allow the trespassers and their land guards to continue destroying the land. Attached are images for your perusal.
The company has valid title to the land in question, despite the fact that the land is the subject of multiple pending lawsuits before various courts, with no judgments yet rendered. As we submit this petition, armed land guardians are at the site leveling the land and destroying client property.
With their armed land guardians present, it is no longer secure for any of our numerous clients to continue cultivating their plots.
In light of the land guardians' display of arms at the site, we are requesting that your office intervene immediately to prevent the situation from escalating into loss of life and property.
We have attached copies of all pertinent documents pertaining to land ownership for your review.
I eagerly anticipate your favorable consideration of this request. Expect your usual cooperation.
Yours faithfully,
Signed,
Lord Allotey
Heaven's Gate Company Limited Chief Executive Officer