Juapong residents protest against activities of land guards

Some residents of Podoe in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region yesterday staged a street protest to express their displeasure over the failure of the Juapong Police to arrest land guards allegedly hired by some members of the community to destroy their farm crops.

They alleged that the Juapong police failed to respond to the several complaints made by the residents.

The residents said properties including farmlands had been destroyed without any provocation.

They, therefore, appealed to the Inspector General of Police to intervene.

Giving a background to the decision to protest, Mr Richard Anansunu, the spokesperson and former assembly member for Podoe Electoral Area, indicated that they wanted the appropriate authorities to intervene and bring the perpetrators to book.

“We could not sit down again after they reported to the police in Juapong about the destruction of 160 coconut and orange plants belonging to Ex WO1 Evans Ayibor, Asafofia of Podoe and a report was made to the Juapong Police without any action taken about two weeks ago,” he said.

Mr Richard Amansunu said since 2017 these groups of land guards have been terrorizing people in the area destroying their properties at night but no action had been taken by the police after several reports.

Responding to the development in an interview, the Juapong District Police Commander DSP Ben Samani explained that he could not hold brief for his men but knows that the police was there to maintain law and order.

“What is important is for those who reported the case to follow up but in most cases, they failed,” he said.

He appealed to the leaders of the protestors to furnish him with the dates their cases were reported at the station for action to be taken.