(Photos) Maamobi residents demonstrate to fight eviction “without compensation”

Hundreds of residents at Maamobi in the Greater Accra Region have poured out in their numbers to demonstrate against a planned eviction exercise in the area.

Dressed in red attire, armbands and headgear, they marched and chanted war songs along some principal streets of the capital on Thursday, 25 August 2022, and massed up at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange area.

The group had some strong words for the Ayawaso North Municipal Assembly as authorities make final preparations to level structures on the encroached lands belonging to the state.

The government has earmarked the area for a redevelopment exercise, but the residents maintain that the notice to relocate by 28 August was too short and would not leave without resettlement.

They carried placards with inscriptions such as “No Compensation, No Demolishing”,” We are also Ghanaians”,” Our Mothers and Fathers Are Dying”, and” We are losing livelihood”.

The government, over the years, has attempted to demolish the illegal structures on the land to pave the way for the construction of a market complex but has not been able to do it.

An assemblyman, Wisdom Boateng, argued that their predecessors passed on the lands to them, which had been their abode for ages; hence relocation without any support from the government would be a challenge.

He claimed that they had paid monies to the assemblies in the past for occupying the lands, and it would be unfair if a U-turn was made within short notice to kick them out.

“The land was given to us by our predecessors by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA). So we have been on the land since 1967 and have even paid revenue to the then AMA and the current Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly.

“We want the government to intervene in this decision because we are citizens. We can’t just use one week or 21 days to evacuate the premises. We have resided on the land since 1967, so we are not foreigners. We are Ghanaians.

“So the state should have some patience with us. We can’t litigate with the state,” he pleaded.

Scores of police dressed in full riot gear were deployed to the area to ensure a peaceful demonstration.