We’ve not released any land to the La Traditional Council – Ghana Armed Forces

The Ghana Armed Force (GAF) has denied reports in the media that it has released 114 acres of land reclaimed by the La Traditional Council from the government.

According to the army, even though the government is looking into the matter, no order has been given for the land in question to be released to the council.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, the GAF added that it needs the land for the protection of the state.

“The Ghana Armed Forces High Command has cited a media report in which the La Traditional Council is claiming that the government has released 114 Acres of Burma Camp Lands to them for development. This claim was made by the La Traditional Council during a ceremony which was performed to signify the reclamation of the said land.

“The Military High Command wishes to acknowledge that there are ongoing discussions by a committee set up by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to deliberate and recommend possible measures to resolve the land issue.

“However, the Ghana Armed Forces has not received any directives from the Ministry of Defence, which is our supervising Ministry, directing that the land should be released to the La Traditional Council. Neither has any government agency directed the Ghana Armed Forces to release any land to any Traditional Authority. Indeed, those lands remain a critical need of the Ghana Armed Forces for the preservation of State security,” parts of the statement reads.

It also urged the La Traditional Council to desist from making public statements that are likely to hamper the resolution of the issue at hand.

“Whereas the Ghana Armed Forces looks forward to a peaceful resolution of the matter through the Committee’s work by government, it takes exception to the premature announcement made by the La Traditional Council as it has the potency of breaching the existing cordial relations between the Ghana Armed Forces and the La Traditional Council. The Military High Command wishes to assure all personnel of Ghana Armed Forces of its desire and resolve to protect the interest of the Ghana Armed Forces at all times,” the statement concluded.

Background:

The Ghana Armed Forces and the La Traditional Council have been in a stand-off for ages over parcels of land at Burma Camp in Accra.

The issue was reignited in 2021 after some military and police officers brutalized some youth of La who were protesting what they contended to be an encroachment of La stool lands by the military.

As part of plans to resolve the impasse between the army and the council over the, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources on Friday, April 23, 2021, held a meeting with all factions in the case.

A fall out from the meeting is the composition of a five-member committee tasked with investigating the dispute and then proposing measures for a permanent solution of same.

The committee was expected to submit its findings and recommendations on May 7, 2021.