Security agencies in the Volta Region face acute office and residential accommodation problems. This is because lands acquired for the provision of such facilities were either not properly acquired or they have been put to other uses. In Kpando for instance, prisoners are cultivating a 50-acre plot of land acquired for the Ghana Prisons Service while prison officers face acute accommodation problems. In Hohoe, individuals have seriously encroached on the land acquired for the Ghana Police Service and have developed them into residential apartments. The heads of the various security agencies made this known when they took their turns to brief members of the Parliamentary Sub-committee on Defence, Security and Interior during the committee's two-day working visit to the region. The Volta Regional head of the Ghana National Fire Service, said there were only two fire engines in the region, located in Ho and Denu. The members were also told that there were many chieftaincy disputes which were hindering development in the region. The Kpando District Chief Executive, Mr Francis Ganyaglo, said disputes in four out of the 12 traditional areas in the district were very serious. He mentioned the traditional areas as Awate, Sovie, Kpando and Wusuta. In Kpando and Awate, for example, the disputes are so serious that they have polarised the people and the district chief executive cannot visit any of the divisions without any disturbances. The Chairman of the sub-committee, Captain George Nfojoh (retd) who is also the Member of Parliament for the Ho Central Constituency, commended the security agencies for their efforts to maintaining law and order at the region, in the face of the serious challenges. He urged municipal and district assemblies in the region to educate landowners to exercise patience since the subcommittee would convey their concerns to the appropriate quarters for the right decisions. Capt. Nfojoh advised chiefs in the region to live at peace with one another as conflicts hindered the development of their communities. "You will be left behind as far as development is concerned, and you and your people, will lose out when foreign investors are looking for areas to invest in." "We all know the region is well endowed with tourist attractions and without peace, nobody will feel safe to come and invest in trouble prone areas," he said. Source: Daily Graphic