The Osu Traditional Council is claiming ownership of the lands presently serving as the Achimota forest.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources recently announced that government is ceding control of 361 acres of the land which is part of the forest to the Owoo family.
The Owoo family which is said to be the custodial owners of lands presently serving as the Achimota forest says it has suffered grave historical injustice over the non-payment of compensation to it for the State’s acquisition in 1927.
The family said it has consistently requested that successive governments enable it to repossess the land.
The news was received with mixed reactions with some claiming that the only entitlement the family has over the land is just about 90 acres and not 361.
But the family, in a statement said the decision by government was done with the active involvement of various State technical negotiators and agencies.
“The Owoo Family has always maintained that compensation has not been paid for the 1927 acquisition, and the acreage due the Owoo family was arrived at through a long-standing negotiation which in many respects predates the current administration. This was done with the active involvement of various State technical negotiators and agencies,” the family said.
In a latest development, the Osu Traditional Council has revealed that land belongs to the Osu stool and not the Owoo family as it has been widely reported.
Speaking to host of Atinka FM’s AM Drive Kaakyire Ofori Ayim, the spokesperson for the Osu stool, Nii O.T Ankrah said there is no Owoo family from Osu.
“There is no Owoo Family from Osu. All the 6 Ga States migrated and settled at their present locations. You can’t move from Ga mashie and claim a land in Osu. In the past, land acquisition was through Settlement, conquering and buying. So, if they claim the land is theirs, did they buy it from an Osu family?”, Nii O.T Ankrah told Kaakyire Ofori Ayim.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu