Some of the evicted squatters of Old Fadama, (Sodom and Gomorrah) have taken over the school lands of Achimota Senior High School.
The squatters, who lost their homes and businesses as a result of the demolition by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, have moved to occupy the school’s land between the main campus of the Achimota School and the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
Numbering several hundreds, the squatters have erected many temporary structures after clearing most of the trees and grasses on that stretch of the land.
A visit to Achimota by The Ghanaian Times yesterday, showed people, mostly women and children dwelling in containers, tents and kiosks, dotted around the school field through to the campus of GIMPA. They have no access to water or electricity
A few people who interacted with The Ghanaian Times on condition of anonymity, said they could not find any alternative than to settle on the school lands after the demolition.
There are also no toilet facilities around hence the squatters have resorted to defecating in the area indiscriminately.
Some other groups have pitched camp on the land. They include Christian groups which have built prayer camps with most of their congregants living among the squatters.
The situation is not different from that of the western compound of the school, where estate developers have built huge mansions around the Achimota Basic School, the teachers’ bungalows and over 40-acre land belonging to the school.
Some of the lands reserved for research and agricultural purposes have also been taken over, leaving little space for teachers and students to use.
Some members of the authority expressed dissatisfaction with the situation, but declined to speak on the development for fear of victimization.
However, a source close to the school authorities, told The Ghanaian Times that the encroachment on the land began decades ago, and had resulted in litigation at the court between the developers and school authority.
The source said a court injunction had been placed on the headmistress of the school, Mrs. Beatrice Tsotso Adom, restraining her from entering the area where the developers were putting up their mansions.
The source said the squatters had also been reported to the AMA and the police but both were yet to act on the situation.
According to the source, a woman was murdered three weeks ago on the land occupied by the squatters, therefore making the place very dangerous.
“The murder has been reported to the police who have begun investigation into the circumstances, under which the woman was killed,” the source said.
Source: Ghanaian Times
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