Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Nana Oppong is facing serious accusations of bias and unprofessional conduct in relation to the Okangman land case in which a notorious land guard, one Emmanuel Accolatse who now goes by the name Emmanuel Afotey Kwei and is popularly known as ‘Van Damme’ along with two of his colleagues were arrested on Monday October 14 and are facing accusation of trespass on a 70 acre land belonging to the Okanstsuru Family in Accra.
Available information indicates that ASP Oppong is trying to frustrate prosecution of the offenders with the excuse that the accused had rather been subjected to ill-treatment following their arrest and should be freed with charges pressed, instead, against the victims.
Van Damme and two of his colleagues were arrested Monday afternoon by a combined team of police and private security operatives from the Greater Accra Regional Police Command upon intelligence.
They were arrested upon a tip off after exchanging gun fire with some of the operatives.
The arrest follows outcry from the chiefs, elders and residents of Okangman near New Amanfro at Adenta La in the Adentan Municipality of the Greater Accra region who appealed to the government to immediately come to their aid against the reign of terror being unleashed on them by land guards in the area.
The three were initially held by the regional police command after their arrest and attempts to have them prosecuted are facing hurdles with accusation against ASP Nana Oppong that he appears to be on the side of the land guards.
There has been no word from the prosecutor in connection with the accusation but the Okangtsuru family is worried that if the case is not handled professionally and the land guards are set free, jungle rule would be enforced in the area by the thugs.
It will be recalled that at a press conference addressed by Nii Adjetey Okanshan, the Okangtsuru family Head last Friday, he warned that failure on the part of government to intervene to ensure law and order would soon result in a bloodbath as the youth in the area were ready to face those land guards.
The Okangtsuru Family also wanted the government especially the boundary Commission and the Lands Commission to take urgent steps to demarcate the land borders between La and Nungua stools to end the recurrent disputes resulting from boundary crises.
According to the Family Head the move would forestall the rampant and seeming endless boundary dispute which often result in land theft and the associated harassment by land guards assigned by some of the factions in the quest to lay claim to their lands.
Nii Adjetey Okanshan noted that the Okangtsuru Family is facing serious encroachment by land guards on their 80-acre registered and certificated lands at New Amanfro and the police appear helpless because some interested parties are aiding the land guards to illegally and forcefully take over their lands.
Such a development, he indicated, has resulted in land guard brutalities to numerous members of the Okangtsuru Family and youth of the area including developers who are often brutalized and face harassment and terror from these land guards for no fault of theirs.
He called for police protection indicating that failure to do so would in future result in a blood bath due to the boundary dispute between them and Nungua backed by Katamanso which is igniting troubles.
In view of the situation, it was gathered that La Tsui Anaa comprising localities such as Adenta, Ashale Botwe, Frafraha, Ashiye, Amanfrom, Amrahia, Maadjor and Okraman among many others have decided to team up to demand boundary demarcation with Nungua to avoid the constant land grab and associated intimidation and brutalities from land guards.
