Some youths of Mafi Tedeafenui, a farming community in the Central Tongu District, have petitioned their District Chief Executive (DCE) over land encroachment allegations perpetrated by Agro Springs Company.

The Company is an agricultural company operating in the area and has been accused of taking more than a 140-acre parcel of land belonging to the community.

Some of the aggrieved youth described the encroachment as a threat to their source of livelihood.

A community leader, Victor Atsu Hunugbe, said the land had been their lifeline for generations, a source of livelihood, hope for a better future, and not just a piece of land.

He said the residents farmed on the 140-acre plot and used its proceeds to erect a few developmental structures in the community for the past 12 years and these were likely to be halted if the situation was not addressed.

Mr Hunugbe called on the DCE to urgently intervene and resolve the situation, adding that an immediate action was needed to protect their rights and ensured that the land was rightfully returned to them.

Mr Sadat Mourinho, the Manager of the Agro Springs Company, said he was aware of the allegations from the residents.

He mentioned that the 140-acre plot was legitimately acquired by his company from the residents through the District Assembly and there was no encroachment.

Mr. Mourinho stated that their operations on the land were temporarily stopped by the Assembly as measures are underway to resolve the situation.

Mr Thomas Moore Zonyrah, the Central Tongu DCE, when contacted said he would work to ensure that there was peace and the necessary actions taken to bring peace to the residents of the community.

He, however, refuted that the Agro Springs Company had encroached the said land under contention. Mr Zonyrah revealed that a group of people who had the right to the same land had given it out to the Company.