Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has expressed strong displeasure with private legal practitioners who take up lawsuits challenging the ownership of lands belonging to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Speaking at the 59th Congregation of the University, the Asantehene said some lawyers continue to file cases on behalf of individuals falsely claiming to be Abusuapanin or family heads with legitimate rights to KNUST property. He described this trend as unethical and unacceptable.
The Asantehene noted that despite a firm warning he issued five years ago against any form of encroachment on KNUST lands, some individuals remain defiant. He stressed that the university’s lands are essential for its growth and must be protected at all costs.
“Barely five years ago, in this very room, I issued a solemn and unequivocal warning against any encroachment upon the lands of KNUST. However, I have received reports indicating that some recalcitrant people continue to test our resolve,” he said.
He added that certain legal practitioners knowingly lend credibility to dubious claims by taking such matters to court:
“Unfortunately, they get some lawyers to take these matters to court when they know that it shouldn’t be so… And yet lawyers, by their profession, take it to court to defend this, which is wrong.”
The Asantehene reminded the public that KNUST lands are not family properties but institutional assets intended for academic development, stressing that the conduct of these lawyers undermines the integrity of the legal profession and the university’s progress.
He cautioned that any further attempts to encroach on university lands will be met with decisive action.
The issue of land encroachment has been a longstanding challenge for public universities across Ghana, particularly as institutions seek space to expand infrastructure and accommodate growing student populations.
Otumfuo’s latest caution adds renewed pressure on individuals and groups attempting to seize portions of KNUST lands, reinforcing the resolve of traditional authorities and the university to safeguard its property.
ALSO READ:
