A group of ex-servicemen reportedly clashed with soldiers over the sale of the land housing the official residence of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces.
A video of the incident, shared by Accra-based GHOne TV on February 13, 2025, showed the men, believed to be retired soldiers, confronting soldiers and the people working on the said land.
According to the media, the land in question was sold to a private developer who has already started working on it.
The video showed a group of men confronting a senior military officer, stating that they were not afraid of anyone.
The men could also be seen facing off with armed military personnel.
One of the men indicated that the private developer was not using the said land for its intended purpose.
He called on the Minister of Defence and Chief of Defence Staff to look into the matter and address it.
“If you have our land and you want to develop it, the land should be developed for the purpose for which it was intended.
“We have 15 acres, and you want to take 10 acres of it. We want to know how this deal was struck. Who are the actors behind it? The defence minister needs to come and answer. The Chief of Defence needs to come and answer,” the man said.
In 2023, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) refuted reports in the media that prime lands belonging to the military in Accra, including the ones housing the official residences of the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), had been sold to private developers.
According to the army, there was no truth to the report of the alleged sale of military prime land, including the claim that senior army officers sold the land because it was too large to manage.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, sighted by GhanaWeb, the GAF explained that the army was a mere custodian of the lands it occupies and could not unilaterally make decisions on them.
“We wish to categorically state that no military lands have been sold to a private developer by the Armed Forces, as the institution is only a custodian of the lands it is using and does not have any authority or right to dispose of them.
“Where lands being occupied by GAF have been developed, any such developments have been done in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence, with the approval of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources,” part of the statement reads.
“It is worth mentioning that there are plans to redevelop the area in question to increase the number of residential accommodations in line with the expansion programme of GAF. Currently, the area in question has only two (2) residential accommodations. It is envisaged that after the redevelopment, the number of residential accommodations for senior officers will increase to thirteen (13),” it added.
Watch a video of the clash below:
Ex-servicemen clash with soldiers over the suspected sale of land housing the official residence of the Chief of Defence Staff to private developers at Roman Ridge, weapons were drawn…#GHOneNews #EIBNetwork#GHOneTV #NewsAlert pic.twitter.com/waVbgm13Qh
— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) February 13, 2025
BAI/EK
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