Original Embossment, one of the leaseholders of the CMB Abuja Market lands, has refuted claims that private developers are unlawfully attempting to seize the property, insisting that its 50-year lease is legitimate and backed by state authorities.

The response comes after traders and transport unions staged a protest earlier this week, accusing developers of encroaching on the market.

Demonstrators also submitted a petition to the presidency, framing the dispute as a case of the rich displacing the poor.

In a statement, Original Embossment stressed that the land belongs to the state through the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA), under the Ministry of Transport, and has been lawfully leased to multiple entities.

The company cited parliamentary records from July 1, 2021, which listed 10 active leaseholders, including the Ghana Cocoa Board, National Investment Bank, and others, dismissing claims that the land had been leased to only one firm for residential development.

Management further revealed that traders who initially reported the matter to police failed to produce ownership documents during investigations, while the company presented verifiable state-issued leases.

“If they truly had a legitimate claim to the land, why would they walk away from due process rather than prove their case before the police and courts?” the statement questioned.

Original Embossment said it has extended goodwill to affected traders by offering ultramodern shops upon completion of development but warned against attempts to twist this gesture into a false narrative.

The company stated that the traders’ temporary occupation ended in 2017 when ground rent payments ceased.

“This is not a struggle between the rich and the poor. It is a matter of lawful ownership versus unlawful encroachment, and in the end, the facts speak for themselves,” the statement concluded.