The Commanding Officer of the 48 Engineer Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Osei Amponsah, has dismissed claims that property owners at Laboma were not given prior notice ahead of the ongoing demolition exercise.

His comments come amid concerns from business owners affected by the Laboma demolition, who have alleged that they were not given adequate notice before the exercise.

Speaking to JoyNews correspondent Stephen Mensah at Laboma on Sunday, September 13, he said the affected property owners were notified several weeks before the exercise began.

“Yes, we gave them notification. The operation was scheduled to start on 27th August, but they had already been notified about three weeks earlier. So, by the time we started, they had had roughly a month’s notice,” he said.

According to him, the notification process began as early as August 5 or 6, giving the property owners roughly a month’s notice before the exercise.

“If you do the timeline analysis, our notification started as way back as 5th or 6th of August. So, from 6th August to this time, it's roughly one month notification,” he said.

Lieutenant Colonel Osei Amponsah said although the affected persons had been given sufficient time to prepare, some waited until the demolition exercise was about to begin before taking action.

“But as humans, sometimes we want to wait till action is taken. Otherwise, we should end up where we are today,” he said.

He stressed that the exercise had been conducted with efforts to prevent damage to the properties and belongings of those affected.

“That notwithstanding, we have not spoilt any of their properties. We've aimed to prevent collateral damages,” he said.

He said the owners were therefore allowed to remove their belongings from the structures before the demolition.

Lieutenant Colonel Osei Amponsah added that the exercise had so far proceeded without any major challenges from the affected property owners.

The demolition at Laboma Beach follows a 21-day ultimatum issued on August 7 by the Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC), directing occupants of the protected buffer zone of the Kpeshie Lagoon to vacate the area.

Authorities have said the exercise forms part of efforts to reclaim waterways, remove unauthorised structures and address flooding concerns in the Greater Accra Region.

The ongoing exercise has, however, triggered concerns from some affected businesses and workers who fear the loss of investments and livelihoods.