Dedeso-Wireko resettlers allege harassment

Settler farmers of Dedeso-Wireko in the Fanteakwa North District of the Eastern Region have made an appeal to  President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Volta River Authority (VRA) to intervene to stop the harassment they are suffering at the hands of the acting Chief of Begoro, Osabarima Bosompem Ayirepe II.

They alleged that they were being harassed over the land with a total acreage of about 8.700.24km, which was acquired by an Executive Instrument (EI) 54 of state lands dated March 22, 1969 and then shared among people displaced as a result of flooding due to the construction of the Akosombo Dam in early 1960s.

The settlers alleged that the acting chief had been using land guards to terrorise them, as well as some herdsmen to destroy their farms, a situation that had been reported to the police but no action had been taken yet.

However, Osabarima Bosompem Ayirepe II, has denied all the allegations levelled against him, and said it was rather the settlers, mostly Krobos, who were always fomenting trouble.

Affected communities

The affected communities are Amafrosu, Akuase, Pakiti, Omotare, Odumkroase, Ayekofi, Odortom, Odampare, Odortombana, Anyinase, Petefuo, Odomeabra, Odede number 1&2, Aframionya and Tassah.

The people clad in red with armbands paraded through the community singing songs and later converged on a spot where they held a press conference to register their displeasure about the activities of the chief.

Addressing a press conference at Dedeso-Wireko last Friday, the spokesperson of the resettled people, mostly farmers, Mr Michael Teye Sackitey, indicated that Osabarima Ayirepe had been organising armed land guards who periodically open gun shots in the community to force them out of the land.

Mr Sackitey said Osabarima Ayirepe's activities, which had on many occasions created fear and panic, had been reported to the police at Dedeso-Wireko and Begoro respectively but no action had been taken yet.

He mentioned instances such as February 17, 20 and 27, all in 2019 when Osabarima Ayirepe accompanied by his armed thugs openly fired guns indiscriminately in the community.

Mr Sackitey further alleged that on June 17, 2020 at about 5 p.m., Osabarima Ayirepe ordered armed land guards numbering nine and led by his son whose name was only given as Mr William, to open fire in two communities in the area, namely Petefuor and Agavedzi.

That incident, he said, forced many farmers to run from their farms back home for fear of being killed.

Mr Sackitey said all the shooting activities were reported to the police but nothing had been done.

He also said Osabarima Ayirepe had brought herdsmen to the community whose animals had been destroying their farms while he himself had been burning the vegetation.

The spokesperson on these incidents thus appealed to the President and the VRA to as a matter of urgency, bring finality to the matter, which had been an albatross around the neck of the resettled farmers.

Osabarima’s response

Explaining his side of the story, Osabarima Ayirepe said the people who settled there long ago were given lands to farm by individual Akyem land owners.

He confirmed that the settlers were brought to the area and given lands when their lands were submerged in 1964 due to the construction of the Akosombo Dam.

The acting Begoro Chief said though the government through the VRA acquired new lands to settle them, there was no compensation for the land owners, yet none of the land owners had asked the settlers to leave the place.

He also denied allegations that he had brought herdsmen to the area whose animals had been destroying their farms, emphasising that they were just trying to be difficult neighbours.

"What they are saying is false, they are rather creating tension in the area but I do not want to respond with force so I have reported the matter to the Eastern Regional Police Command," Osabarima Ayirepe indicated.