Five suspects have been arrested and remanded in police custody following the vandalism of a National Democratic Congress (NDC) office complex under construction in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.
The attack happened in the early hours of May 7, with the assailants reportedly using guns and machetes to damage sections of the facility, valued at approximately GHC1 million.
Despite the setback, the NDC says it will not be deterred.
Kwesi Hanson, the party’s Constituency Communications Officer, told Citi News: “We’ve mobilised contractors back to the site and gathered materials to continue the work. Investigations are ongoing, and we look forward to a full report on what happened and who was behind it.”
Joseph Armah Agyekum, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ellembelle, condemned the demolition as both unlawful and unacceptable.
He stressed that no individual or group has the right to tear down a structure without following legal procedures, either through the courts or the District Security Council (DISEC), which he chairs.
According to the DCE, the disputed land was bought in 2017 by the area’s Member of Parliament, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, from the late Chief Nana Boadi at GH¢20,000 per plot.
However, after the chief’s death, the Awiaso royal family challenged the sale, claiming the land transfer was improper.
The matter initially went to court but was later withdrawn in favour of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process.
Mr. Agyekum said the NDC agreed to refund the land cost and met several royal family conditions, including hiring local youth, contributing to palace construction, and paying annual royalties.
But tensions flared again when the royal family reportedly added a new demand: that the NDC and the MP help gazette King Kaku Aka III as Overlord of Nzema land, a request the DCE says neither the party nor the MP could fulfil.
He also revealed that the structure had been attacked on multiple occasions before the May 7 incident.
