Court remands Spintex land guard leader

A 41 year old businessman, Ila Ishmael has been remanded two weeks into police custody by an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly engaging in land guard activities.

Ishmael is, therefore, to reappear before the court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh on May 10, 2021, for the charges of trespassing, prohibition of land guards and causing unlawful damage, contrary to Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) and Vigilantism and Related Offences, Act 2019 (Act 999).

Narrating the case to the court yesterday, the prosecutor, Inspector Eric Pobee said the accused person was a former employee of Corporate Protection Security (CPS), contracted to guard the complainant’s properties including one at Okpoi-Gonno near Manet on the Spintex.

According to the prosecutor, the said property is a nine acre land, which actually belongs to the complainant’s mother, one Rose Ayee, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Osamampa Estate Company Limited.

He alleged that about a year ago, Ishmael and land guard group captured portions of the land and shared it among themselves and even sold part to unexpected victims.

The prosecutor said Madam Ayee reported the accused person to the CEO of CPS who warned Ishmael not to step on the said land again.

Later on, he said the security company’s CEO informed Madam Ayee that the accused person had been sacked from the company, due to his involvement in land guard activities in the Accra Metropolis.

The security company’s CEO was said to have also given assurance to Madam Ayee that the accused person has further been warned to stay off from the Osamampa Estate Company Limited property, since he has no business there after being expelled from the security company.

Unfortunately, the prosecutor said the accused person and his land guard group continued to threaten, harass and preventing the complainant and others who have genuinely acquired the land from the estate company.

He continued that unperturbed Ishmael on August 19, 2020, together with some of his gang went to the land and attacked madam Ayee and her workers as well as threatened them to stop working on the land.

Ishmael to proof his words, he kept the complainant hostage and it took the intervention of a team from Accra Regional Police SWAT for her to be rescued.

Inspector Pobee said the accused person was later arrested and detained by the police, adding; “Whiles investigation was ongoing, [the] accused and some elders intervened and pleaded with the complainant to have mercy and forgiveness on him, which the complainant accepted their plead but accused was warned again by the Accra Regional Police not to step on any of the properties of the Osamampa Estate Company Limited again to harass the developers including the land at Okpoi-Gonno near Manet.”

As if the said warning was not enough, he said the accused person on April 11, 2021, without any good cause trespassed onto the property again, but this time round he took hummer and break the wooden profile of ongoing building project on the land.

The prosecuted stated that the accused person also forced a private security person on post at the property to him to cause destruction to the building under construction else he will deal with him also.

He said on April 11, 2021, the complainant reported the case to the police and the accused person was arrested.

Inspector Pobee added the police investigation team also visited the scene the accused person and picture were taken for evidential purposes, adding that investigation is still ongoing to estimate the cost of the damage.

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