The Headquarters of the Department of Parks and Gardens was engulfed in tension on Wednesday, April 17, as the department continued its battle against encroachment on its lands.
A man who identifies himself as Rev Dr. Ezekiel claims to be a trustee of approximately two acres of Parks and Gardens lands near the Russian Embassy in Accra, and is asserting ownership over portions of their property.
Workers from the Department had to step in to fend off suspected landguards who were allegedly working on behalf of the self-proclaimed trustee.
Dr. Kingsford Adams, the Director of Parks and Gardens, made it clear that the department is determined to staunchly defend its property.
“This is our property, this is our heritage. The land belongs to the park and gardens. We didn’t invite the workers, they came voluntarily to fight the intruders…they thought that they were cheating us and stealing our property.
“So, it is out of their own love for their department that they are there in their numbers. So, anybody that comes around to disturb us, we will not forgive him, we will not allow anybody to own our lands.
“What this Dr. Ezekiel is doing is seriously uncalled for and we are not going to allow him to own our land. Nobody has sold this land to him,” Dr. Adams asserted.
He strongly criticized Dr. Ezekiel’s actions, casting doubt on the legitimacy of his claim and questioning his integrity.
“He is a liar. That is why I ask if he is a reverend minister or what? We went to Cantonment Police Station with all our documents. We presented our certification of allocation because this place was given to us by an Executive Instrument (E.I.) This man came with a handwritten indenture. So, the divisional police commander asked him about the certificates to the land, and he told him that he only had that on his phone,” Dr. Adams added.
As the Parks and Gardens Department continues its fight against land encroachment, the battle for ownership over the disputed property remains ongoing.
