Hundreds of residents of Podoe in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region have given the government and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) a one-week ultimatum to clamp down on land guards activities in the area effectively.

According to the residents, should authorities fail to heed their plea, they will advise themselves on the next steps to take.

The agitated residents recounted that properties, including their farms, have been destroyed at the hands of land guards.

As such, clad in red, they conveyed at their farms on Tuesday to drum home their displeasure and ask the Inspector-General of Police to, as a matter of urgency, ensure that the perpetrators of the act are brought to book.

Speaking to JoyNews, a former assembly member for the area, Richard Courage Eli Amansunu said, they have reported the issue to the police on various occasions; however, the officers are yet to tackle the issue.

“Since 2018, we have been reporting the issue to the police. We have even reported it at the regional level, but they have refused to do anything about the situation,” he recounted.

Based on the indifference of the security service, Mr Amansunu alleged that the police have teamed up with the land guards and their “sponsors” to destroy their properties.

“The police are in bed with the land guards, which has made them silent on the issue,” Mr Amansunu opined.

A victim of land guard terrorism, WO1 Evans Ayibor Rtd, expressed his frustration and urged the relevant authorities to nib the canker in the bud.

“When I was informed about the destruction on my farms, I quickly rushed there and met the new assemblyman who advised me to go to the police station. But, although, I have reported the case, the police are yet to do something about the issue,” he lamented.