The Court of Appeal in Accra has issued an order to the Central Regional Lands Commission, directing them to remove the name of 21 Century Company from their records. This decision aims to bring an end to a 13-year-long land dispute concerning the Gomoa Fetteh Land.
The legal proceedings began in September 2005, when the Chiefs of Gomoa Fetteh filed an application with the High Court in Cape Coast, which resulted in a mandamus order instructing the Lands Commission to register the land documents of 21st Century Company and its affiliated companies, as well as documents related to their customers.
However, the Lands Commission failed to carry out the registration, leading the chiefs to file a motion for contempt of court. Eventually, both parties reached a settlement and submitted the agreed terms to the court.
On June 18, 2020, the Lands Commission published a notice in the Daily Graphic, announcing their intention to delete the land registration of those whose lands had been affected. The Chiefs claimed that the 21-day notice period had expired, but the commission did not take any action to remove their names. Consequently, the matter was brought back to court.
The Court of Appeal, consisting of Justice Poku-Acheampng, Justice Kyei Baffour, and Justice Archer, ruled in favor of the Chiefs and ordered the Lands Commission to delete the land registration for the portions of the Gomoa Fetteh lands.
During a news conference, Nana Abor Atta II, the Twafohene of the Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Council and Chief of Gomoa Fetteh, explained that in the early 90s, the manager of 21st Century, Kofi Asmah, acquired 3,000 acres of land from the Gomoa Fetteh chiefs for estate purposes. However, due to an error by the Lands Commission, over 12,000 acres of land were registered for the company without the chiefs' knowledge.
The Chiefs have been fighting the legal battle for the past 13 years to rectify this mistake. Nana Abor Atta II called upon the Lands Commission to conduct thorough investigations before registering lands for individuals and estate companies to reduce land disputes in the area.
Furthermore, Nana Kwesi Quansah, the Omankrado of Gomoa Fetteh, urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to intervene and address the arrest tactics used by certain police personnel, citing their "rambo style of arrest" during operations.
After the press conference, JoyNews reached out to the management of 21st Century Company for their comment on the court's judgment, but they did not provide a response.
Source: Richard Kwadwo Nyarko - Joy News
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