Retired educationist petitions IGP over forceful removal of tenants by MCE at Gbawe

A retired Educationist, Madam Magdaline Sarpong Debrah has petitioned the Minister of Local Government, Inspector General of Police, Attorney General, and the Greater Accra Regional Minister to investigate the unlawful and forceful removal of tenants from their homes at Gbawe-Agape by the Ga Central Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Mohamed Bashiru.

In the petition dated March 19, 2022, she explained that at around 5am, about 50 men comprising of members of the Ga Central Municipal Assembly taskforce, Police officers believed to be from the Anyaa District command and other known land guards within the vicinity broke into a 12-bedroom house at Agape-Gbawe to forcefully and unlawfully eject all tenants in the house.

Madam Debrah said the house in question is a subject of litigation at the General Jurisdiction 7 at the High Court Complex in Accra which the Ga Central Municipal Assembly is a party to, but the Assembly went ahead to eject tenants without a court order.

She added that the Assembly destroyed portions of the property and left school children preparing for school traumatized at 5 am.

Madam Magdaline Sarpong described the action of the Ga Central Municipal Assembly as inhumane and contemptuous looking at the pendency of the case.

She further requests the Assembly to restore all displaced tenants after making the premises tenantable again.

Madam Magdaline also wants the Minister of Local Government to restrain the Ga Central Municipal Assembly from going to the premises and or assigning its agents to undertake any works whatsoever while the dispute pends at the court.

Below is the petition

25 – 03 – 2022

TO: THE GREATER ACCRA REGIONAL MINISTER, MINISTRIES – ACCRA.

PETITION FOR INVESTIGATION INTO THE CONDUCT OF HON. MOHAMMED BASHIRU (M.C.E OF GA CENTRAL MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY) AND SOME PERSONEL OF GHANA POLICE FOR EMBARKING ON A FORCEFUL AND UNLAWFUL ENTRY INTO PROPERTY TO EVICT TENANTS FROM THEIR HOMES AT GBAWE AGAPE.

1. I, MAGDALENE SARPONG DEBRAH for and on behalf of myself and the DJABA – MENSAH family of Koforidua do bring this petition to your very high office to seek an enquiry into the unfortunate and unlawful conduct of Hon Mohammed Bashiru M.C.E of GA CENTRAL MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY for engaging in the forceful removal of tenants from their homes at Gbawe – Agape. 2. That on 19 – 03 – 2022 around about 5:00am, the entire family woke up to the news that over 50 men comprising members of the GA CENTRAL MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY TASKFORCE, POLICE OFFICERS (BELIEVED TO BE FROM THE ANYAA DISTRICT COMMAND) and other known “Land Guards” within the vicinity had broken into our family property at Agape – Gbawe to forcefully and unlawfully eject all tenants.

3. That the GA CENTRAL MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY is a party to a suit bothering on the ownership of the property concerned and yet embarked on the said operation knowing very well of the pendency of the said suit entitled MAGDALENE SARPONG DEBRAH (FOR HERSELF AND ON BEHALF OF HER CHILDREN) VRS BEST TRUSTEES CONSTRUCTION LTD & 2 ORS. pending at General Jurisdiction 7 at the High Court Complex, Accra.

4. That the devastating effects of the action of the MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY which saw to the displacement of innocent citizens (Children, women etc) from their homes is not only an eyesore, but a grave disrespect to the Courts and the innocent Ghanaians that Honourable Bashiru Mohammed swore to protect when he was sworn into office as the Honourable M.C.E of the Ga Central Municipal Assembly.

5. That we are equally advised that the preposterous actions of the leadership of the GA CENTRAL MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY by forcefully evicting lawful tenants from their abode and destroying portions of the property is a criminal offence under the laws of the Republic of Ghana and the perpetrators of the said offence must be brought to book.

BACKGROUND

I. Our father has been senile for sometime now. During this period he also fell victim to online fraud (sakawa) and he has been sending money to the fraudsters abroad in return for some supposed GHS5 million dollars. (How he fell for that scheme remains a mystery to us as a family to date).

II. Sometime in 2019, he came home without his vehicle (Chevrolet Equinox) and when we enquired about its whereabouts he couldn’t tell us anything meaningful.

III. We scouted through all fitting shops in Koforidua Township that night and found it parked at one garage.

IV. We approached the owners of the garage who told us that our father had come to sell the car to them.

V. We got alarmed and started scrutinizing his movements and dealings we became amused to discover that he had attempted to sell our 12-bedroom one storey building family property at Gbawe – Agape through a certain agency (BEST TRUSTEES CONSTRUCTION COMPANY LTD) to the GA – CENTRAL MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY.

VI. We quickly got in touch with the said agent and the then M.C.E (Dr Emmanuel Lamptey) to explain the situation.

VII. We made the Assembly and Agency aware that the property had been used as security for a mortgage, which had subsequently become a subject of a court judgment at all material time.

VIII. The proprietory documents of the property remains with the Financial Institution till date although the family have managed to repay all amounts owed.

IX. Not withstanding the disclosure of the above facts, on 22 – 05 – 2021 the then M.C.E (Dr. Emmanuel Lamptey) who superintended over the supposed purchase transaction paraded about 50 members of the Assembly taskforce accompanied by some Police officers from the Anyaa District Command to enter the property with the aim of evicting our tenants by force.

X. We quickly interceded for a halt in the operation and quickly afterwards in filed a suit in that same month of May 2021 at the High Court Complex to challenge the transaction.

XI. The suit is currently pending in General Jurisdiction 7 before her Ladyship Rebecca Sittie (MRS) where pleadings have closed and witness statements ordered to be filed by the parties.

XII. That just last year, a new MCE in the person of Mohammed Bashiru was elected and sworn into office. He visited the property about a month ago and engaged our caretaker who informed him of the pendency of the above-mentioned case in Court.

XIII. On 19 – 03 – 2022 around 5am, Police Personnel with arms and about 50 men from the Assembly Taskforce forcibly entered the premises and ransacked the entire property; they destroyed everything and broke down all doors and threw out all tenants including children and women. (Pictures of the operation are available)

XIV. They took this action without showing any Court order or any explanation to the tenants.

RELIEFS SOUGHT

I. We employ the Ghana Police to investigate the actions of the MCE (Hon. Mohammed Bashiru), Police Personnel and the individuals that took part in the unlawful evictions and destruction of properties and for them to face the appropriate sanctions.

II. For the Assembly to restore all displaced tenants after making the premises tenantable again.

III. For the Assembly to desist from going to the premises and or assigning its agents to undertake any works whatsoever whilst the dispute pends at the Court.

SIGNED ________________________________ MAGDALENE SARPONG DEBRAH (FOR HERSELF AND ON BEHALF OF THE DJABA – MENSAH FAMILY)

CC: INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE GREATER ACCRA REGIONAL MINISTER GA CENTRAL MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY