Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By
William Yaw Owusu & Rebecca Adwoa Solomon
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
The payment of compensation to owners of Adentan
lands in Accra by the government has been stalled because there are currently
multiple claims over who actually owns the lands.
Kwesi K. Bentsi-Enchil, Chief Valuer in charge of
compensation schedule at the Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission yesterday,
told the Commission of Enquiry investigating the payment of judgement debts
that 32 claimants are chasing 2068.99 acres of land which is occupied by the
Adenta Housing project.
The Agbawe Family led by Nii Kpobi Asawa II, had
petitioned the commission presided over by Justice Yaw Apau of the Court of
Appeal, claiming the government needed to compensate them for 1,283.11 acres of
land taken from them.
“The Agbawe family per the records made the claim in
October 1993. The original acquisition was made in 1974 and amended in 1991 and
further amended in 1992 covering a total 2068.99 acres. It is covered under E.I.
15. Originally it was E.I. 125 of 1974 and E.I. 19 of 1991,” the Chief Valuer
testified.
He said although the net area for the Agbawe Family
claim stood at 1,283.11 acres, it conflicted 26 other claims submitted per the
proprietary plan.
When Justice Apau enquired whether the acquisitions were
in respect of the same stretch of land Mr. Bentsi-Enchil said “unfortunately,
the Act itself does not specify the basis for the amendment of the acquisition...It
will require picking up the plans and studying it.”
He said the 2068.99 acres was valued in 1994 at ¢21.7billion
adding “the Agbawe Family claim itself was for a total of 1395.11 acres but the
deductions out of that are either based on court judgements or evidence of some
claims rooted in Agbawe grants.”
He said the division was not aware that any
compensation had been paid even though in 1999, an application was made for a
release of ¢2.6 billion in respect of the Aggrey Cattle Limited claim for
498.32 acres.
He said the division could not confirm whether a
claim had been received from the Okataba Family who are also laying claim to the
lands and explained that it was due to the fact that the names stated on the proprietary
plans did not indicate the families.
“It is possible that a family name on the
proprietary plan may be on behalf the Okataban Family but as the records stand
now it is difficult to say…There are a total of 32 claims and I need to read up
the file to establish whether any one of them is acting on behalf of the
Okataban Family.”
He added that “I know for instance that Nungua has a
claim, La has a claim and a couple of families and secondary interest claims
based on grants.”
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