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The Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, ACP Timothy Yoosa Bonga, has admonished the Paramount Chief of Brekusu, Nana Oteng Korankye and other encroachers to vacate a large parcel of land containing about 72 villages between the Eastern and the Greater Accra Regions which legally belongs to the NumoNmashie Family of Teshie.

The Police Commander gave the warning when the chief and his elders and some members of the Royal family paid a courtesy call on him to assist in addressing the land dispute between them and the people of Brekusu.

The Police Commander vowed to comply by all the judgments from the High Court, The Appeals Court and The Supreme Court covering all the 72 villages where a land Title has been granted the NumoNmashie  family and the people of Teshie.

The Police Commander therefore asked the two families to ensure that none of their land guards visits the said lands until further notice to avoid   chaos..

He cautioned the two families to avoid multiple dealings and sales of plots of lands in the area.

The two families indicated that they have mandated engineer Samuel Larbi Darku to be the sole attorney on their behalf. They have thus informed members of the public who fall within the 72 villages  to solely deal with engineer Samuel Darku.

Per  the  ruling of  the Court of Appeal dated 26th November 2015, the three,  Justices , Justice K.N Aduama Osei, Justice S.E Kanyoke and Justice Gertrude Torkornoo (Mrs), restored the earlier ruling of the court of appeal in suit no. 49/80 which approved the site plan which was later affirmed by the supreme court in suit No. J4/14/2005.

“They never parted with any portion of the hill to any person. We however, find that the second claimants’ ancestors settled and established a lot of villages on lands near and around Ajancote hill and to all intents and purpose these lands and villages are now in absolute ownership, possession and control of the second claimants ” he emphasized.

This singular finding of the tribunal in respect of the ownership of the hill top only was appealed by NumoNmashie in 1980.

The Appeal Court in a  judgment on 12/11/1980  ruled unanimously in favour of the NumoNmashie Family.

Before the Court of Appeal made its judgment on the consent of all the parties the Court of Appeal appointed Surveyor Larsey to particularize and to produce a composite plan of the villages adjudged by the State Lands Tribunal to belong to the NumoNmashie family. The surveyor did his work and the resulting plan became the Judgment Plan of the court of appeal in CA 49/80.

The two key claimants in the tribunal  were Chief of Berekusu, Akwapim (first claimant) and the NumoNmashie families (second claimant). They were claiming  rightful ownership  of the large tracts of land  and some  entitlements from the government of Ghana.

One key finding of the state lands tribunal in 1976, was that , “although we accept the evidence of the second claimants that series of wars were fought between the ancestors of the first claimant on one hand and those when the latter arrived at Ajancote, we find that the first claimant’s ancestors never gave up possession and ownership of the top of the hill”.

A Member of the Numo Nmashie family in an interview with this paper indicated that the Gmarshie does not intend to bully the public with these judgments but shall regularize all documentations if approached.

He said the family however expects that encroachers on bare lands approach them for renegotiation if the said lands were not given to them by the family or better still with the consent of all the gates.