Despite having been assaulted and chased from contested lands by the police and military personnel on Thursday, April 15, the Coalition of La Associations says they will continue to resist security deployments seeking to forcibly take away their land.
Jeffrey Tetteh, spokesman for the coalition told the media that they are ready to lay down their lives to secure the lands if need be.
“The military has vowed vehemently to resist the people of La and make sure we don’t get unto our land. This morning, once we were gathering to go on our land, an exercise we have done recently for many times; police officers have been deployed to come and prevent us, they are suppressing us in an era of democracy and we the people will resist this kind of suppression.
“We are going to resist with the last drop of blood in us. If they so wish and they think they can spill blood because of this land, we are willing and so be it.”
Tetteh stressed that the current generation had a responsibility to guard the lands and to pass them down to generations as it was done for them by their forefathers.
“We are not going to be intimidated by the use of security personnel, we are not going to be intimidated by the forces of the military. We are not afraid of their artillery and whatever they do we shall still march onto the land and occupy it,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Solomon Kottey, Municipal Chief Executive of the La Dade Kotopon Municipal Assembly in an interview with Citi News said the events of Thursday were unfortunate but that he would continue to liaise with parties to arrive at an amicable solution.
He disclosed further that there had been an invitation extended by the Lands Commission for a meeting between the parties.
Demonstrators – involving the La Traditional Council, the Coalition of La Associations – were forcibly dispersed by police and military personnel when they defied an order by police to suspend the protests.
In the ensuing clash, some protesters and media personnel were assaulted over the protest against alleged encroachment on La Stool Lands by the Ghana Armed Forces.
The lands in question lie between Tse Addo and Airport Hills, around the Military Cemetery.
Even though the spokesman said attempts to meet relevant ministers on the matter had proven futile, it is on record that the group had previously met President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who had promised to give the stool about 200 acres of the land. The MCE confirmed leading the interest groups to meet the president.
