#SayItLoud: How over 50 people invaded and pulled down a building on a private Airport land

It was on Monday, May 1, 2023, that the biggest destruction happened at the private residence of Richard Eshun, at the Airport Residential Area, but it was only the climax of a month-long torment by some unknown faces.

These persons, who had secured a default judgment from a court in Tema, on the 1.4 acre of land that originally belonged to Isaac Eshun of blessed memory (Richard’s father), ensured that they terrorized whoever lived on that property as much as they could.

But the 68-year-old Richard, who knows for certain that his father’s land is not under any contention, is equally not allowing anyone to deny him a property that has been in the family’s name for over five decades.

Narrating the incidences that led to what has now become rubble, he explained to GhanaWeb’s Etsey Atisu that these persons came in with a bulldozer and completely pulled down the building, with everything in it.

He added that the people had followed right after some policemen stormed his residence under a claim that there were land guards at the venue.

“This property was acquired by my father who died two years ago; Isaac Eshun, from a company he worked with called Pioneer Tobacco Company. Our family has been on this land continuously for about 50 years…

“There is no confusion at the Lands Commission as to who owns this property. However, somebody went to a court in Tema and the judge in Tema gave them the right to posses this property as a default judgement. We were not informed, and I think that was deliberate because that’s the plan; that we don’t know so they can get the default judgement from that judge and then use it as a sledge hammer to abuse the rightful owners of this land…

“On the morning of the 1st of May, a number of police officers from the regional police, CTU, arrived here and their claim was that they had been told that this place had 30 or so landguards causing trouble here, and they were here to arrest them. They walked through the property and they didn’t see a single person, except two of my carpenters helping me put up doors that they had broken.

“As the police officers left, they opened the door and these people rushed in. the group that came on the 1st of May involved about 30 land guards, on motorcycles, including other people in cars; there were numerous – about 50 people on this property doing this damage.

“And it was only after about an hour or so of the damage that the bulldozer arrived to do the last few things,” he explained.

Richard Eshun added that it turned out these people were not only about taking over his land, but they were also there to steal.

He said that thousands of dollars were stolen from the house, including several gadgets.

“What you have to understand about these people is that they are thieves. In the time since the 2nd of March, they have stolen money – thousands of dollars. They have stolen laptops. They’ve stolen everything of value was stolen by these criminals.

“So, it is not simply somebody trying to acquire a land; well, they don’t own this land. There appears to be this cabal of land snatchers that can get judgement on your blind side, and use that as a sledge hammer and try and force you to give them the property,” he added.

Watch the full interview below:





AE/OGB