Africa-Press – Ghana. Mr Kofi Manu, the Administrator of the Dormaa Customary Land Secretariat in the Bono Region, has cautioned vigilante groups and body builders (Machomen) to refrain from being used or serving as land guards.
He emphasised that the new Land Act 2020 (Act 1036) criminalizes activities of land guards and stipulates stiffer punishment for persons who engaged in the prohibited practice.
Mr Manu gave the advice in an interview with the media on the sidelines of a sensitization forum at Chiraa in the Sunyani West Municipality, saying the Act recommended a minimum of five years jail term and a maximum of 15 years sentence for persons acting as land guards.
The Secretariat organised the forum to also enlightened the people on the activities of the secretariat as recommended by the Act 1036.
Mr Manu urged potential land buyers and estate developers to always endeavour to contact the secretariat whenever they intended to buy land within the Dormaa Traditional area comprising areas like Bomaa, Abesim and Chiraa.
He noted that as population grew, land turned to become a scarce commodity, worrying that that often led to the unacceptable practices of multiple sales of lands and warned that those who failed to contact the secretariat before buying lands within the traditional area did so at their own risk.
Mr Manu reminded farmers working on the Dormaa stool lands that they did not have the rights to release those lands for sale, saying the practice also remained a serious offence under the Land Act and offenders could also be jailed.
Mrs Georgina Rockson, the Bono Regional Director, the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands, emphasised that it was mandatory for property and land owners to pay ground rent.
She said those who failed to pay their ground rent committed an offence punishable by law, and entreated them to do so in order not to cause troubles for themselves.
Mr Awuah Missah, the Head of the Physical Planning Department at the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly, cautioned the public against putting up residential apartments without contacting the department.
He said estate and land developers ought to meet certain conditions before putting up their structures, saying until they acquire building permits from the Assembly, they had no right to develop their lands.
Mr Missah emphasised that buildings without permits could be demolished, and urged everybody to do the needful.
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