�We�ll Claim What Is Rightfully Ours� :Word Miracle Leaders Vow

What seemed to be a simple enforcement of a court order, degenerated into a rather nasty and violent clash leading to the ill-fated death of two people at Avenor, a suburb of Accra, whiles several others sustained grave injuries. One of the unfortunate victims even had his left limb severed off. The parcel of land in contention (13 plots), according to official (court) records, belongs to the Word Miracle Church International (WMCI), but squatters have resisted attempts to be driven away, insisting it is the subject of a protracted dispute between the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission and the WMCI. The bloody event transpired when a group of people hired by the church as laborers� (some alleged they are landguards) visited the area, ostensibly to put up a fence around the portion of land, which the WMCI claimed it acquired some years ago. The leadership of the church has in the mean time expressed its preparedness to claim what is rightfully theirs. The Associate Pastor of the WMCI at the Circle Branch, Pastor Emmanuel Boateng, in an interview with Kwami Sefa-Kayi on Peace Fm�s �Kokrokoo�, categorically stated that �as long as Ghana is governed by a constitution, the church will prevail on the country�s statutes, and legally take back their property.� �Just last Thursday I went to the Central Police station and in the company of the regional Commander and Superintendent Sylvester Bawiise Bunyo about 23 troops were engaged to protect us in the demolishing exercise, but they advised us to get the service of some men who will do the demolishing as they (Police) were there to grant us protection�After the AMA carried out a demolishing exercise of illegal structures on the land on Friday the police entreated us that we start fencing the land the next day, on that occasion the police failed to show up to protect us so the job was not executed as we were countered by the squatters,� he revealed. He continued, �On Monday (November 16th) morning, we sent the laborers to put up the foundation and fence our portion of the land, but that was what led to the tragic loss of lives.� Pastor Boateng debunked the allegation that the church hired land guards to drive out the squatters. �We did not bring in any landguards, they are laborers whose services we hired,� he told Kwami Sefa Kayi. According to the Associate Pastor, the land was legally acquired with relevant documents backing their claim. �Lawyer Agyei Lartey led us to acquire the land. The Gbese Mantse, �Wulomo� and the late Nii Amugi (Ga Mantse) sold the land to us. If we have to go to the extent of bringing the National Security or Soldiers at the barracks to give us letters to claim the land we will do so, we won�t leave the land for them, we acquired the land legally and we have to erect the wall so we can worship there�No matter what we will acquire the land, the court had given us the order, and I don�t know why the Police cannot enforce the law against the squatters,� he told Peace Fm. Meanwhile, twenty-three suspects, including 17 of the suspected landguards, and 6 squatters have been arrested by the Police to help in investigations in the case.