Efforts to prosecute suspected landguards arrested in a recent police operation at Ashongman Estates have hit a legal snag, as the alleged mastermind behind the gang, Ussha Haruna, failed to appear in court on Tuesday, July 8. The Dansoman Circuit Court has since issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
Haruna’s no-show has raised eyebrows, particularly amid reports that some officials at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters in Accra requested the case docket, sparking public suspicion of potential interference in the prosecution process. Residents of Ashongman fear the case may be deliberately derailed, with some accusing elements within the CID of attempting to “kill the case.”
State prosecutors have reportedly expressed concern over the CID’s interest in a matter outside its usual remit, suggesting it violates established prosecutorial protocols. This development threatens to undermine what was hailed as a significant breakthrough in Ghana’s ongoing fight against landguardism.
Just days earlier, on July 3, the Anti-Landguard Unit of the Ghana Police Service, led by DSP Nafiu Shittu, carried out a decisive operation that saw the arrest of 10 suspected landguards at Bank of Ghana lands in Ashongman Estates. The suspects were apprehended without resistance during a well-coordinated morning raid based on credible intelligence from residents who had endured years of threats, extortion, and illegal land claims.
The accused — Yussif Touffik, Chief Ali Ibrahim, Abdul Wajeed, Seidu Issah, Graham Smith, Latiff Larry, Mohammed Omar, Emmanuel Mensah, Abdul Wallah, and Said Abdullai — have all been charged under the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999). Their sponsor, Ussha Haruna, remains at large and under investigation.
Despite legal clarity over the ownership of the contested land — affirmed through a government auction in 2014 and supported by court rulings in 2010 and 2024 — the area has remained a hotspot for landguard violence. The gang is alleged to have ignored legal rulings, making false claims and destroying property in an attempt to control portions of the land.
DSP Shittu emphasized that the Ashongman raid forms part of a nationwide crackdown on organized landguard activity, with the goal of restoring public confidence in land ownership and security.
The community’s response to the operation has been overwhelmingly positive, with residents thanking the police and commending Inspector General of Police COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno for prioritizing land security since taking office.
However, the potential interference in the prosecution process has sparked concern over the integrity of Ghana’s justice system in land-related cases. Civil society groups and legal analysts are now calling for transparency and strict adherence to due process to ensure justice is served.
The developments at Ashongman are a stark reminder of the complex intersection between land, power, and justice in Ghana’s urban spaces — and of the critical role community vigilance and law enforcement must play in upholding the rule of law.
