Office of President denies involvement in land dispute with GIS

• President Akufo-Addo

The Office of the President has denied its involvement in any land dispute with the Ghana International School (GIS) and has urged the public to disregard any such information.

A statement issued in Accra, yesterday and signed by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin, the President had no interest whatsoever in the said land which had become the subject of dispute.

Furthermore, it said no officer, agent or assign had been directed by the Presidency to secure and/or interfere in any matter pertaining to GIS land within Cantonments.

The statement said “attention of the Office of the President has been drawn to an allegation that the office, acting through the Head of the Very Very Important Personality (VVIP) unit has been involved in a dispute over a piece of land belonging to Ghana International School,” it said.

The statement explained that Chief Superintendent Ibrahim Opoku of the VVIP unit whose name had been mentioned was not directly involved in the said land dispute, but only performed his professional duty by handing over alleged encroachers and suspects involved in the land dispute to the Cantonments Police Station, upon chancing on an altercation between some individuals at the Cantonments barrier on his way from work.

It said in line with his professional duties and standard protocols, Chief Superintendent Opoku after handing over the suspects to the Cantonments Police Station also submitted his credentials to the police as he was enjoined to do.

“In light of the above, the Office of the President has made a formal complaint to the Inspector General of Police to investigate the entire matter,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the principal of GIS, Mr Frank Amponsah- Mensah, told the media that attempts by some individuals who claimed to have links with the Office of the President were at the place to take over the school’s land.

In an interview, he noted that some individuals were led by Chief Superintendent Ibrahim Opoku of the VVIP unit and believed to be from the Office of the President invaded the school land with some building materials including sand and blocks.

In addition, he said they brought in an excavator to dig trenches and commence the construction of a wall over the land.

“There is a building here; it is an old building, and one of our staff lives here. Because of what has happened, we have had to start constructing our wall. It used to be three of them (the buildings). We demolished an initial two and maintained one of them,” he said.

BY CLIFF EKUFUL