Some traders operating in front of the old Tema Community One Casino building on Tuesday expressed worry over the demolition of their wooden and glass structures by a private developer following a court order.
The demolition was carried out manually under the protection of police officers. To ensure that the traders do not return to the premises, trucks of sand were tipped on the grounds at the displeasure of the affected traders.
The aggrieved traders marched to the premises of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) to demand answers for the actions, claiming that they have been paying tolls to the assembly, but the city guards prevented them from entering the premises.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) gathered at the scene that the private developer, a Lebanese known as ‘Captan’, secured a court order after several attempts to evict the traders from the said area, which were always met with resistance.
According to the traders, a number of institutions, including Stanbic Bank, UCA and Melcom, had operated from the casino structure without evicting them from the premises, raising questions behind the move.
Mr Kwabena Agyei, an affected trader, said that in 2024, they were served with a court letter indicating that the private developer had been declared the rightful owner of the land in question.
He, however, questioned why the summons was not directed to the TMA, which they believe has ownership of the land because they collect tolls and rates from them.
Miss Victoria Glago, a trader, said other traders called them at dawn to say that truckloads of sand had been brought onto the land they trade on, and their shops were being demolished.
GNA
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