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THE District Chief Executive for Ahanta West, Joseph Dofoyena, has threatened to drag the chiefs in the three Ahanta Traditional Councils to court for allegedly engaging in multiple sale of land to investors. He said chiefs from all the three traditional councils in Ahanta � Lower Dixcove, Upper Dixcove, and Busua � are all soiling their reputation by their involvement in multiple sale of lands to people in and outside the district, and urged them to put a stop to it immediately or face the full rigours of the law. He said he would leave no stone unturned in exposing the traditional rulers in the above-mentioned councils suspected of being engaged directly or indirectly in multiple sale of land to investors. According to him, the practice of multiple sale of land in the district, which has been a source of worry to local authorities, has for many years frustrated investors, reduced the confidence of doing business in the area, and contributed significantly to underdevelopment of the coastal district. He told The Finder in an exclusive interview that he had tried to persuade the chiefs to do the right thing but that has failed; he has no option now than to use the courts to ensure justice and fair play in the area. �I have used every available platform to educate the chiefs on the dangers associated with multiple sale of land in the country. Unfortunately all my efforts have fallen on deaf ears and the practice continues to hamper development and all other activities in the area. �At one stage, I even used the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to put pressure on them to stop the fraudulent practice but to no avail. So now I am heading for court and I am really determined to succeed,� the DCE stressed. He cited the case of a Dubai-based company, Ferrofab, which has expressed interest to set up a manufacturing plant in the Aboadze community to service the oil and gas companies operating in the Western Region with their products. However, the attitude of the land owners, he revealed, has scared the investors, who are threatening to leave. �Can anyone imagine the number of job opportunities that would have been created if this company were to succeed in their plans? Why should we allow a few disgruntled elements in our community to hold everyone to ransom? The time has come for leadership to be up and doing and we would do just that,� the DCE stressed. Touching on general development in the area, the DCE disclosed that some companies have registered their presence in the Ahanta community and are beginning to roll out their activities. He was, however, quick to point out that the number of companies in the area could have been more if the land tenure system in the district was trouble-free, and the chiefs, including land owners, desisted from the practice of multiple sale of the lands to investors.