The Lands Commission has revealed that hiring the services of land guards as well as supporting land guard activities is punishable by law.
According to the Commission responsible for the registration and documentation of lands in the country, this is per the newly promulgated Land Act, 2000, Act 1036, which was assented to by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2022.
The Commission further added that the Land Act, 2000, guides the acquisition of public lands and registration by private persons in the country.
The Head of the Special Projects Unit at the Land Commission, Dr Benjamin Quaye explained that section 12 of the Land Act makes it a punishable criminal offence to hire the services of land guards to protect one’s land.
He said employing the services of land guards is a criminal offence punishable by a term of imprisonment.
“The law makes it clear that if you hire the service of a land guard to protect and terrorise others on land, it is a criminal offence and the police know that,” he stated.
The Head of the Special Unit at the Lands Commission made this revelation in an interview on the 505 news analysis programme hosted by Korku Lumor on Class 9FM on Friday, 2 September 2022.
He noted that the country’s land tenure system is problematic because 80 per cent of the land is owned by traditional authorities made up of royal families and stools among others.
This, he explained, has been the bane of multiple sales of lands in the country as well as a fierce contest over lands.
He said the government only owns 20 per cent of the country’s lands stressing that the majority of the lands belong to the traditional people.
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