By Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Members of the Defense and Interior Committee of Parliament have summoned the Minister of Interior, Henry Quartey, and the Director General of the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) to appear before it today, Monday, July 29.
The summons pertains to issues concerning the Ghana Prisons Service Barracks at Cantonments and the Ghana Prisons Service land at Roman Ridge in Accra.
The Deputy Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, Mr. Peter Lanchene Toobu, speaking in an interview with an Accra-based Citi FM said the invitation of the Minister of Interior, and Director General GPS to appear before the House was to gather first-hand information before visiting the area.
“There have been several complaints of a businessman who has taken over the government’s land and the complaints are unfriendly, and as a committee responsible for this particular sector, we find it necessary to have a fair idea of what is happening and also listen to the people.
We invited the director general of the Ghana Prison Service to appear before the committee and give us some briefing. Probably that will help us when we move into the area, we will have some courage and we will be able to tell Ghanaians what the state of affairs is,” he added.
The action taken by the committee comes in the wake of a series of demonstrations announced by the Coalition of La Associations and the GaDangme Coalition Against Land Injustice.
The protests, which begin on Tuesday,30, July 2024 aim to address what the groups perceive as unethical land seizures by political entities in the Greater Accra Region.
The groups have raised concerns about the Prisons Service lands at Cantonments, where a private developer plans to redevelop the facilities and use part of the land for private business.
