The people of Ngleshie Amanfrom a community in the Weija Municipality have called on government to compensate them for their Afabre lands which were taken from them in the past.
In an interview with GPP, Mr. Festus Nii Djator Botchway, son of the late chief of Ngleshie Amanfrom and one of the principal elders of the stool disclosed that his ancestors first settled at a place called Afabre situated near a riverside in the Ga West District.
According to him, after his ancestors discovered the land, they decided to settle close to the river. During the era of General Acheampong, however, they were asked to relocate from Afabre to their current site because the Densu River which flows into the river near their settlement could potentially submerge their communities during the rainy seasons. General Acheampong then built the Amanfrom Quarters for the people to relocate.
He noted that though the government of the day has the power to take certain properties for use at certain times, he pleaded that they pay some form of compensation to the original landowners.
He believes that the land the government took from the people of the Amanfrom is generating a lot of income, so it was only right that they were compensated in order for them to finance developmental projects within their communities.
Mr. Festus Nii Djator Botchway indicated that a few weeks a ago, the Ghana Water Company mounted some pillars without informing the chief of their intended purpose. Incidentally, the people of Ngleshie Amanfrom hardly get water flowing through their taps. He said that even though it is their source which provides potable water to some parts of Accra, they have not enjoyed good drinking water for the past 25 years. He appeals to the government to provide them with potable water.
“We were also informed that some people were asked to come and arrest the chief and members of the royal family.” He added.
He said that there were various security agencies in the country and that if something had gone wrong, it was their duty to perform an investigation to find the actual culprit instead of just ordering the arrest of people without any due cause.
He also appealed to the people of Ngleshie Amanfrom to desist from any acts which would plunge the community into chaos and unrest.
Finally, he called on those who have taken lands that belong to the people of Amanfrom to come and negotiate payment terms because the people have lost a lot of lands and enough is enough.

BY: ANGELA AFOTEY