Nine persons suspected to be landguards have been shot dead by the anti-landguard unit of the Ghana Police Service at Akwasa Hills near Tuba in the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
One suspect who was also shot during the operation is receiving treatment at a hospital, while two others are in police custody.
According to Citi News sources, the suspects had been harassing workers of an estate development company at Akwasa Hills for some time.
The suspects would often terrorize the workers and, in some cases, injure them.
On Thursday, June 8, 2023, the suspects allegedly attacked the workers again, firing shots in the area. The police anti-landguard unit, which had allegedly laid an ambush, initially attempted to arrest the suspects, but the suspects opened fire, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
A community source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the development as welcome news, as the landguards had been terrorizing the community for years.
“The incident happened at a land at Bortianor Hills belonging to a developer. The developer had been working on the land for over a month, and the landguards had been coming to harass the workers on a regular basis. The developer reported the harassment to the police, and the police came to the scene to investigate. While the police were laying an ambush, the landguards attacked the workers, and the police opened fire, killing nine of the landguards. Three of the landguards were injured and taken to the hospital.
“The activities of landguards are quite disturbing. They often demand money from developers, and some developers have paid as much as GH¢50,000 or even GH¢100,000 to the landguards,” the source said.
Meanwhile, Serwaa Agyapong, a resident whose brother was shot, has denied allegations that all of the people involved were landguards.
She said her brother, who lived close to her home, was a steel bender by trade and had never worked as a landguard.
She was upset with the way the police team quickly removed the bodies of the dead men and covered up the blood stains with sand and leaves.
Madam Serwaa also accused the police of washing away the blood stains with water, and she is calling for a full investigation into the incident.
“My brother is not an armed robber, as is being perceived. He is a steel bender. After killing him, the police took his personal belongings, including a television set,” Serwaa Agyapong, the sister of one of the deceased, said.
