The Chairperson of the Volta Regional Board of the Lands Commission, Mama Dzidoasi I, has expressed dissatisfaction over a supposed ploy by some persons to forcefully allocate public lands to themselves in Sogakofe, in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region.

According to her, government officials are allegedly neck-deep in land grabbing by aiding traditional authorities and other residents to have access to and develop public lands.

All this, she said, is done without the needed due diligence.

She detailed that the Commission had developed a scheme to develop some 9 plots of lands reserved along the Volta River in Sogakofe.

Unfortunately, soon after, it was discovered that some individuals have encroached on and are developing on about 6 acres of land at the same location. 

”It is very sad to note that just after the assembly had approved the scheme we laid before them, 3 plots have just been developed by the paramount chief I am being told, who is also an elder brother to the DCE,” she said in an interview with Joy News. 

Though officers had approached the developers and asked that they stop developing the lands, work continued nonetheless. 

”You can see a road is being created by the residency, there is a connection of a [water] hose from the residency, where the DCE lives, to the site,” she further revealed. 

She expressed her disappointment in the stakeholders of the area who rather than protecting government property are allegedly allocating government lands to themselves. 

Mama Dzidoasi I implored residents in the area to step in and prevent people from encroaching on government lands and assured that the board would go all out to take over the lands and use them for the intended projects. 

Joy News contacted the South Tongu District Chief Executive, Emmanuel Lewis Agamah, who denied knowledge of the ongoing projects, although some building materials were seen at his residence.