Chief of Klagon, Nii Bortey Klan I, has expressed outrage over the demolition of structures at the Sakumono Ramsar site in Accra.
The exercise took place in the early hours of Wednesday, October 20, 2022.
“I’m not aware of the exercise, because we’ve been here a long time. If there’s anything, we’ll talk to the authorities. ” He adds that he “thinks some people are planning to go and share the land,” Nii Bortey Klan I told the media.
Klagon residents, he claims, are not encroaching on any of the biosphere reserve’s three zones, nor are they building on any waterways.
The disgruntled chief revealed that there was no form of engagement prior to the razing down of walls.
The regional minister and his officials never met with the traditional council as earlier purported by Henry Kortey, but the news of the demolition came to them two days before the said day.
“Nobody has met with anybody, no notice. Now, look at how Ghana has become and how people use their money to build houses. I mean, come and identify with what the people may know. Then you wake up…”We heard the news yesterday and then dawn you are here,” he noted.
However, the chief has therefore vowed to get to the bottom of the matter to ensure that “all affected persons would be maintained” as he was worried about the investment people had made in the purchase of the lands and the razed down fence walls.
Meanwhile, the Accra regional minister said that traditional authorities endorsed the move ahead of the exercise, adding that occupants of the land had been given enough notice to leave.
Demolition was carried out by Regional Security Councils (RESECs) headed by Henry Kortey, the Accra regional minister.
A few weeks ago, flooding occurred in Weija and nearby areas, so the team believes this will help avert a recurrence of a similar situation.
The 1,200 acres of the Sakumono Ramsar site hold thousands of gallons of water each year to prevent flooding in the surrounding communities.
A 2019 report by the Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services (CERGIS), cautioned that if care is not taken, the Ramsar site may be lost.
Source: The Independent Ghana