Police personnel have shot dead nine individuals suspected to be land guards at a location near Tuba in the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
This follows an operation conducted by the anti-land guard unit of the Ghana Police Service. Another suspect who was injured is receiving treatment at a hospital, while two others are in police custody.
According to multiple news reports, the suspects had been allegedly harassing workers of an estate development company in the Akwasa Hills area for some time.
An eyewitness narrated that on Thursday, June 8, 2023, the suspected land guards again stormed the construction scene to demand digging fees from a group of masons who were working in the area amid the firing of gunshots.
The anti-land guard unit, which had laid an ambush, initially attempted to arrest the suspects. However, the suspects opened fire, leading to an exchange of gunfire.
The source further added that eight of the alleged land guards were instantly killed, while another lost his life while being transported in a police vehicle to the hospital.
“The incident happened at a land at Bortianor Hills belonging to a developer. The developer had been working on the land for over a month, and the land guards had been coming to harass the workers regularly. The developer reported the harassment to the police, and the police came to the scene to investigate. While the police were laying an ambush, the land guards attacked the workers, and the police opened fire, killing nine of the land guards. Three of the land guards were injured and taken to the hospital.”
“The activities of land guards are quite disturbing. They often demand money from developers, and some developers have paid as much as GH¢50,000 or even GH¢100,000 to the land guards,” the eyewitness said as he pleaded anonymity.
However, Serwaa Agyapong, a resident whose brother was shot, denied allegations that all the individuals involved were land guards.
She stated that her brother, who lived near her home, worked as a steel bender and had never been involved in land guard activities.
She expressed frustration with the police’s swift removal of the bodies and their attempts to cover up the blood stains.
Madam Serwaa called for a thorough investigation into the incident, claiming that her brother was not an armed robber as portrayed and accused the police of confiscating his personal belongings, including a television set.
