E.T. Mensah, Naadu Mills …In Land Grabbing Case at Dawhenya

The family members of Osu-Wem, the custodians of Dawhenya land in the Dangme West District of the Greater Accra Region, is squaring up against the Minister of Works, Water Resources and Housings, Hon. Emmanuel Teye Mensah, and former First Lady, Mrs. Ernestina Naadu Mills for supporting Borbornyo family of Prampram, another rival claimant to the land in the area to trespass on a 8522.696 acres of land located at Oshiokpo at Dawhenya Hill.

Also the family members accused E.T. Mensah who is a Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prampram constituency, and Mrs. Naadu Mills for playing a critical role in the alarming rate of land disputes in the Dawhenya Township.

Speaking at a press conference which was addressed by one of the leading members of Osu-Wem Family, Mrs. Agnes Nortey therefore accused E.T. Mensah and Mrs. Naadu Mills for using their political positions to instrumentally support the Borbornyo family of Prampram to claim the aforementioned portion of land from Osu-Wem family, which she said, Osu-Wem family, through their late grand-father Nortey Anaimle, were first settlers of the land since 1426.

Flanked by the elders of Osu-Wem family, Mrs. Nortey noted that E.T. Mensah and Mrs. Naadu Mills in connivance with the Borbornyo family, which was latter settlers on the land in 1872 managed to grab a portion of 33 and 10 acres of their land respectively.

In her statement of claim, she revealed that a couple of years ago, E.T. Mensah who was not a prudent seller of Prampram lands, illegally sold a parcel of land located at Costal point of Prampram to a foreign national and collected a black Jaguar car and some undisclosed dollar amount from the Whiteman.

“I was one day in my house when Omaklalo of Prampram, Astuare Denca came to me with the land documents for me to endorse for him stating that E.T. Mensah used that portion of aforementioned land at Costal point of Prampram in exchange for a black Jargua Saloon car and some dollars from the Whiteman which I refused to sign based on the grounds that E.T Mensah did not hail from Osu-Wem family… so as a result of my objection to the endorsement of the land documents from Astuare Denca, E.T. Mensah on numerous occasions at durbars and meetings at Prampram threatened to take my life by hook or by crook”, Mrs. Nortey told the media.

She recounted the numerous influential roles E.T. Mensah played in the case of shooting to death of Kwesi Charles a.k.a ‘Yero’ by Martin Dorpoh, a son of Dawhenya chief Nene Kewku Dorpoh, in 2011 as a result of land dispute in the area.

According to Mrs. Nortey, when Martin Dorpoh was arrested and charged before the law court, E. T. Mensah managed to interfere in the court ruling and managed to influence the court to set Martin Dorpoh free.

“ My brothers look, the freed Martin Dorpoh is now walking on the street at Prampram and still using AK47 threatening people to kill them when they set foot on the aforementioned portion of the land; so that is a man Mr. E.T.Mensah who is our MP has supported to free from law court” ,she asked.

However, in a fact finding mission at Ningo-Prampram recently by The Moment, E.T Mensah’s name has become a household name for all the residents in the area of the critical roles he has been playing in the land disputes and undermining the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party faithful in the constituency in the area.

The chiefs and branch executives have pointed accusing fingers at E. T. Mensah, of feuding land disputes and undermining the party faithful in the constituency. According to the irate executives and chiefs, Hon. Mensah for the constituency, is not in good terms with most party executives, chiefs and traditional leaders in the constituency.

That situation, they said, has divided the entire party membership and brought the party’s activities to almost a standstill.

According to them, the MP has divided the rank and file of the party by his deliberate exclusion of majority of party executives from its operations. The disgruntled chiefs and executives said they petitioned the National Chairman of the NDC, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, and President John Dramani Mahama of the divisive practices of Mr. E.T Mensah.

“We the chiefs and people of Ningo-Prampram have summoned Hon. Mensah to the leadership of NDC on the grounds that he has made several disparaging remarks against us,” they complained.

They recounted a case where they recently approached him for aid in the construction of the road from the Great Ningo SHS junction to adjoining towns and villages, but Hon. Mensah persistently failed to heed calls, because he was busy helping with the construction of minor roads within the Prampram township.

“Hon. Mensah prior to the 2008 elections and previous elections made promises to the inhabitants of Great Ningo but has failed to honor those promises after all these years,” disclosed Nene Kanor Atiapah III, Manklalo of Great Ningo, who doubles as the President of the Great Ningo Traditional Council.

He was speaking at the recent Homowo festival at Ningo and was flanked by some traditional leaders, including Nene Banahene, Nene Setse, Nene Oyardiea, Nene Kuadi, Nene Bleblo, Nene Sodji and Queen mother of the Ningo traditional area, Nene Bamflo.

Nene Atiapah lamented that Great Ningo is lagging behind in development stressing that promises for education facilities, electricity, potable water and roads have not been honored.

Against this backdrop, he revealed, he has instructed his sub-chiefs and their subjects not to vote for the ruling NDC government come Election 2012.

They disclosed that they have passed a resolution of no confidence in their Member of Parliament (MP,) Hon. Mensah, “for not being proactive in bringing the people of Ningo and Prampram to a common table to dialogue on the issue.”

Attempts made by The Moment to get Mr. Mensah and Mrs. Naadu Mills to respond to the allegations leveled against them by the Osu-Wem family proved futile.