Former Deputy Interior Minister, James Agalga, has partly blamed the menace of land guards in the country on Ghana’s judicial system, which he said, is unable to adjudicate land cases expeditiously.
Contributing to a statement on the floor of Parliament Thursday, he argued that when people are unable to get justice in land cases, they resort to site crimes by hiring the services of land guards who use in some cases, sophisticated weapons to ward off intruders.
He said the land guards have “become a law” unto themselves, noting that the menace has become more worrying because when these land guards do not have anything to do, they metamorphosis into political vigilante groups.
Mr Agalga who is the member of parliament for Builsa North underscored the need for Ghana’s land adjudication system to be relooked at, and the judiciary adequately resourced to expeditiously resolve land disputes
Earlier, member of parliament for Gomoa East, Kojo Asemenyi, made a statement on the menace, indicating that the activities of land guards started in the mid 90s when individuals, families and organisations hired young men to protect their landed properties.
Mr Asemenyi said the land guards later started using dangerous objects like knives cutlasses and even guns in their attempt to seize people’s properties. He noted they used these objects to deprived legitimate land owners of their property
He expressed worry that today, land owners still use land guards in their bid to protect their property as against using appropriate institutions like the courts to protect their legally acquired lands
He has therefore urged parliament to as a matter of urgency, do something about the menace, and to where possible, initiate policies that will permanently bring the activities of these illegal groups to an end
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