Nana Oppong Baah, an alleged deadly land guard who had been on the police radar in connection with unleashing terror and mayhem on developers and landowners in the Dodowa as well as Appolonia townships has finally been busted.
Oppong, 39 and one Emanuel and Ebenezer currently at large, were said to have been terrorizing the two townships for some years now, attacking landowners and demolishing their buildings and illegally selling those lands to unsuspecting buyers.
Oppong Baah who claimed to be a businessman was finally caged after he was busted by police leading a group of gun-wielding land guards on motorbikes to illegally demolish several buildings and erected walls on a parcel of land belonging to private developers in the area.
An Accra circuit court presided over by His Lordship Fred Bright Acquah has since remanded Nana Oppong Baah into the Nsawam prison custody for a week after the police prosecution pleaded for more time to investigate and have his other accomplishes arrested.
The accused is facing nine counts of charges including the prohibition of activities of land guard activities contrary to Section 7(3) of Vigilantism and Related Offences ACT 2019 ACT 999, the threat of harm contrary to section 74 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), causing unlawful damage contrary to section 172 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (act 29) and stealing contrary to Section 124(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1090 (Act 29).
According to the facts of the case, Opey Francis and Joshua Buepem accused Oppong and his accomplishes of using armed-wielding land guards to terrorize them on a parcel of lands they legally acquired with all the necessary documents.
According to the police prosecutor, on 5th May 2021, at Appolonia in the Greater Accra Region and within the jurisdiction of the Court, the accused persons with intent to put Joshua Bumpem and Opey Francis in fear of harm, did threaten to cause harm to the said to them.
According to the police, Oppong Baah and the two persons at large acted as land guards on a parcel of land at Appolonia and owned respectively by Joshua Bumpem causing unlawful damage contrary to section 172 of the criminal offence Act.
The alleged notorious land guards are again facing another count for causing damage to the fence wall and blocks belonging to complainants valued at Nine Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC9, 000.00).
They also facing another charge of conspiring to commit a crime by acting together with a common purpose to causing unlawful damage to properties contrary to sections 23 and 131 (1) of the criminal offences act 1960 (Act 29).
The accused persons in 2019 led a group of land guards firing guns randomly at the Dodowa Government Hospital area and in the process causing injuries to some innocent citizens in the Dodowa township.
Residents of the area responded to the unprovoked attacks that led to the arrest of Oppong Baah by the police and he was detained for a number of weeks and was granted a court bail. The case is still pending before another court in Dodowa.
According to the Accra Circuit court, Oppong Baah is to reappear in court on Tuesday, 5th October 2021 for hearing.
In an interview with some residents of the area following the arrest and remand of Oppong Baah, they noted that their menace of land guard activities have gained notoriety in the area stating that “the mention of land guards sends shivers down our spines”.
“We have abandoned the idea of buying lands to put up our won houses. The reason is just the fear of these land guards who do not only intimidate but sometimes go to the extent of even killing innocent people just because they have bought lands and developing on same”, one resident lamented.
They said the situation is going from bad to worst with the land guards on daily basis are always combing new developing areas and terrorizing developers.
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