Scores of residents at Mamobi in Accra have been left stranded ahead of a planned eviction and demolition exercise scheduled for Sunday, August 29, 2022.
The exercise is set to be undertaken by the Ayawaso North Municipal Assembly to reclaim some 15.7 acres of government land encroached by squatters.
Ahead of Sunday’s exercise, GhanaWeb TV visited the neighbourhood where thousands of families risk being displaced.
Speaking to some of the residents, they alleged that the assembly failed to give them adequate time to evacuate from the land.
According to the residents, they were only served with a 21-day notice from last month which expires on Sunday.
But according to the affected residents, the notice gives them a rather limited time to find a new place of accommodation.
Some of the residents said they have nowhere to go as they will not be able to raise the needed amount to find new accommodations.
At the time of the visit, GhanaWeb TV came across several of the residents packing their properties in the hope that they get accommodation elsewhere to move out.
The residents appealed to the municipal assembly to extend the period for eviction noting that they will most likely fail to find a new accommodation by Sunday.
But speaking to the Ayawaso North Municipal Coordinating Director, Jamani Dramani, he denied the claims of limited time for the notice of eviction served on the residents.
He noted that the assembly had served the residents with several notices since 2019.
According to him, the land in question was acquired by an Executive Instrument (EI) back in the 70s and currently has the Assembly’s office building which is under construction located on it.
He noted that the remaining part of the land which is expected to be reclaimed on Sunday will be used for the construction of a market and a light industrial area.
According to him, the reclamation of the land will help the Assembly grow its local economy and also generate revenue for development.