Story: Della Russel Ocloo, Appolonia
RENEWED tension is brewing in Appolonia, a farming community in the Tema Metropolitan Assembly following disagreement between the Chief of the town, Nii Tei Adumuah II and his Kingmakers over the activities of illegal sand winning in the community.
Sand winning, including the illegal cutting down of trees has led to serious environmental degradation and subsequent destruction of the community’s farmlands.
The over 20,000 acres of land which was formally used for pepper plantation and cattle rearing was now at the mercy of individuals who operates various pits for the purposes of sand wining.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic during a tour of the farmlands, secretary to the kingmakers, Mr Divine Abladey Dortey indicated, the illegal activities which started several years ago reached a crescendo where the livelihood means of indigenes suffered greatly leading to majority of the youth migrating to Ashaiman and Tema in search of alternative livelihood means while the rest of the populace live in abject poverty.
He indicated the kingmakers in their quest to seek redress and reclaim the land to forestall the illegal activities, in 1994 filed for a perpetual injunction at the Tema High Court seeking among other reliefs a declaration to stop the alienating of lands by the chief, to any individual or companies without recourse to Alhaji Tettey-Kwao, Seth Gblie Nartey and Joseph Mensah Akpeng, his Kingmakers who were the plaintiffs in the case.
Mr Dortey also accused the Assembly member of the area, Mr Timothy Mensah Tetteh and the Member of Parliament for the area, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo of teaming up with the chief and his cohorts to violate the court order thereby encouraging the youth to go back and continue their activities at the pits.
A visit to the site revealed deep trenches filled with water at the sites as a result several years of sand wining activities.
Workers at the site who were busily seen loading sands into tipper trucks took to their heels upon seing the press leaving behind their tools.
Although the road network connecting the various puts were in deplorable conditions, drivers as well as the youth who operates at the site often manoeuvre their way to the pit to cart away the cargo which they pay as little as GHC35 for, but sells to the public at a cost of GHC250 depending on the axle of the loading truck.
Ebenezer Tetteh Noi, a native of the town told the Daily Graphic, that they were very much aware of the court injunction which prohibits all forms of activities on the land.
‘We only commenced work some three days ago following a directive from the chief, Nii Tei Adumuah that we can go back to the pits’, he said.
Armed guards position at the entrance of the site who had in their possession waybills from the finance department of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, Ministry of Lands and the Lands Commission told this reporter that they were representatives from the above mentioned institutions as well as the traditional council who has been tasked to issue receipt to the drivers after payments are effected for the carting of the cargo.
The Chief’s representative, who earlier refused to make any comment during an interrogation with the media, later confessed that he was authorized by the Chief of the area to collect waybills.
Attempts to check the veracity of the waybills from the TMA officials were futile as officials were tight-lipped as to whether, the said documents emanated from their outfit.
Nii Laryea Afortey Agbo and Mr Mensah denied the assertions that the said injunction was placed on the land where the sand wining activities were being carried out.
According to Mr Mensah, the injunction was placed on the boundaries of Kubekro and Oyibi, all adjourning communities surrounding Appolonia, whose indigenes have over the years encroached into their lands.
The MP on the other hand questioned why he would involved himself into matters that do not concern him as an outsider who does not even come from the town.
Mr Divine Dortey regretted that this illegal activity apart from denying the farmers of their source of revenue was also damaging the top soil which goes to deprive the soil of its nutrients.
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