In a viral video circulating on social media, the visibly distressed man was seen struggling to hold back tears as heavy machinery pulled down the structure believed to be his home.

According to him, there was no prior notice before the demolition, and he lamented that his money and other belongings, including those of his family, are now trapped under the debris.

Two young men had to support and hold him to prevent him from collapsing while the demolition continued.

The emotional scene has sparked reactions online, with many expressing sympathy for the elderly resident and concern over the human impact of the demolition exercise.

At one point in the video, the man could be heard crying out in despair, saying, “They should kill me.”

The demolition forms part of an ongoing operation by authorities to remove structures allegedly built on waterways and unapproved lands within the Sakumono Ramsar enclave.

The exercise, being carried out by a joint task force, is aimed at reclaiming protected lands and preventing further encroachment in the area.

While some members of the public have backed the enforcement action, others have raised concerns about the emotional and financial toll on affected residents, especially those who claim to have acquired the lands legally.

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Speaking with Adom News, Addo said it is unfair to treat the residents as illegal squatters when many of them acquired the land through transactions with government officials.

“The people who built at that area didn’t just go there and put up structures on their own. They bought the land from some government officials,” he explained.

He urged the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, to pause and conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

According to him, the Minister should engage with affected residents to trace where and from whom they purchased the land. “This issue of demolishing properties can be solved if we establish the source.

Building a house is not easy, and people should not be made to suffer for what they believed was a lawful purchase,” he added. Addo stressed that accountability must go beyond the residents.

“The District Assembly and any state institution involved in the selling of that land must be held responsible,” he stated, noting that punishing only the buyers while ignoring the officials who facilitated the transactions sets a dangerous precedent.

He concluded that a fair resolution should address both sides, providing relief to displaced families who acted in good faith, while ensuring that any complicit officials face the appropriate sanctions to prevent future encroachment on protected lands.

Mr. Addo also noted that since the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, has apologized for her earlier remarks about people from the northern regions, she should be forgiven.

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The operation is targeting illegal structures that have been erected within the protected wetland, which authorities say has come under increasing pressure from encroachment over the years.

Speaking in an interview, the Forestry Commission’s Manager in charge of Stakeholder Relations, Joseph Binlinla, said the exercise forms part of broader efforts to curb persistent flooding and preserve the ecological integrity of the site. He cautioned that anyone who attempts to rebuild or erect new structures after the demolition will face legal action.

Meanwhile, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, disclosed that a dedicated monitoring team has been deployed to the area to ensure strict enforcement and prevent any further encroachment.

Also speaking, the Head of Works at the Tema West Municipal Assembly, Engineer Ben Debrah, made it clear that no building permits have been issued for any development within the Ramsar zone. He stressed that the area remains a protected “no-go” zone and must be treated as such.

Authorities are urging the public to comply with regulations as efforts continue to safeguard the wetland and reduce the risk of flooding in surrounding communities.

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The three-day operation forms part of renewed efforts to restore the natural flow of waterways in the area and reduce the recurring risk of flooding, especially as the rainy season sets in.

Officials say illegal buildings on key waterways have significantly blocked drainage channels, worsening flooding in nearby communities.

They stressed that this is not a sudden action but a continuation of ongoing efforts over the years to protect the ecologically sensitive Ramsar site.

Despite several warnings, notices, and previous demolitions, encroachment has persisted, prompting authorities to take a firmer and more coordinated approach.

The Sakumo Ramsar Site, internationally recognised for its ecological value, has long been under pressure from human activities, particularly unchecked construction.

Authorities warn that ignoring planning regulations not only harms the environment but also puts lives and property at risk due to flooding.

Security personnel will be on the ground to maintain order, while affected property owners are being urged to cooperate with officials to avoid any confrontations.

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The petitioners contend that their lands were legally acquired from the Forestry Commission, with some claiming they have taken steps to preserve the environment rather than harm it.

Speaking on the Citi FM on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, one of the affected residents, Jerry Narhyumu, stated that while they acknowledge the ecological significance of the area, they do not believe they have broken any laws.

“We have engaged all this while with Henry Quartey, and we have engaged with all the authorities. We are willing to engage. Some of us have dredged the stream in front of our properties. We have rather protected the stream,” he said.

Narhyumu also noted that the area is not flood-prone and that many residents have lived there since 2019 without incident.

He called for continued dialogue under the new administration, stressing the need for policy continuity to find a lasting resolution.

“As we know, government is a continuum, so if the NPP government is gone and the NDC government has come, all we expect from them is to continue the engagement so that we can regularise the land,” he added.

The Ramsar sites are internationally recognised wetlands protected for their environmental value. However, increasing encroachment in recent years has led to state-led demolitions aimed at preserving their ecological integrity.

Affected residents argue that instead of being evicted, they should be allowed to work with authorities to regularise their tenure.

Source: Citinews

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The operation, carried out in collaboration with the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) and National Security, aimed to reclaim the ecologically sensitive land from encroachers.

Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, the Shai-Osudoku Member of Parliament (MP) revealed that about 90% of the Ramsar lands have been encroached upon.

She emphasized that the demolition forms part of broader efforts to protect the site.

“This exercise will continue to ensure the land is preserved for its intended purpose. Encroachers have disregarded several warnings to stay away, and we must protect the inner core of what is left. That is why we are here, and we are doing this ahead of the rainy season,” she stated.

This is not the first demolition at the Ramsar site, yet illegal construction continues to threaten its existence.

During his tenure, immediate-past Regional Minister Daniel Titus-Glover declared all Ramsar sites within Tema Metropolitan, Tema West Municipal, Ablekuma West Municipal, and Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assemblies as security zones. However, his efforts did not yield much success.

Madam Ocloo has pledged that the current operation will not be a one-off event, stressing her commitment to safeguarding the site.

“We are not going to compromise. We will not look at any human face; we have to do the job and protect the country,” she warned.

She disclosed that similar demolitions would take place at other Ramsar sites in Accra, including Sakumono, Ashaiman, and Dansoman.

She also directed affected developers with grievances to take them up with the TDC, noting that structures built in waterways have significantly contributed to perennial flooding in the municipality.

This comes after several efforts by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council to rest grievances among involved parties over land encroachment in the area.

The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources responsible for Lands and Forestry, Benito Owusu-Bioa, announced the development while addressing the media after fruitful discussions on the matter.

The Minister said that the demolition is a necessary evil that needs to be done to serve the greater good of all factions and the entire country, as it will to a great extent help retain Ghana’s position as a signatory to the United Nation’s convention on protecting forests and Ramsar sites.

He also alluded to recent flood reports from other parts of the world and even Ghana saying that if care is not taken and the demolishing exercise is not done as soon as practicable, bigger floods will soon swallow the cities, implicating innocent Ghanaian home owners.

Mr Benito stressed that these 136 structures to be demolished are not habitable homes, which he explained to mean “uncompleted structures that have no human living in them, fence walls, foundations, quarters of caretakers and similar others”

He asserted that to ensure an all-inclusive exercise, the demolish will involve representatives of the traditional councils, the encroachers’ landlord’s association, the Forestry Commission,

The Deputy Minister assured that regulation processes will be carried out for unaffected houses but was however quick to add that it may tarry as a lot of work needs to be done with the taking of inventory and ensuring that proper documentation is made for record keeping.

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Hon. Henry Quartey expressed his joy and relief that such a conclusion has been reached after several years of strive and struggle over the matter.

In the spirit of settling all issues and disputes, the Greater Accra Commando charged the Technical Director for Lands at the Ministry, Mr Maxwell Adu-Nsarfoa to as a matter of urgency constitute a committee to bring an end to the boundary issue that exit between the Forestry Commission and Celebrity, a private developer who claims to own parts of the Ramsar site.

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He clarified that as the regulation processes commence, only lands with completed houses will be regularized, not bare lands and therefore cautioned “those who will go and buy new lands in the area with the idea that it will be regularized should take hide and refrain from taking such actions”.

Mr Henry Quartey highly applauded the Chiefs of the two Traditional Councils involved in the impasse; the Tema and Nungua Traditional Councils for their patience and continuous support throughout discussions and negotiations.

Mr John Allotey, the CEO of the Forestry Commission, during his turn, gave a detailed presentation on efforts and actions taken by the Lands Ministry and the Commission to protect the Ramsar Site from further encroachment while stating the findings of the Committee set up by the Sector Minister, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor to settle the matter.

In his presentation, the CEO of the Forestry Commission also brought to light the recommendations of the Committee which he hoped will be adopted to help in processes.

Mr Allotey who also presented to the house the options available in salvaging the rest of the Ramsar site, presented on the four options weighed by government and after discussions and deliberations, the concurred on option four, which is to reduce the original size of the core area of the Ramsar site to a land space of 8.30km squared.

Mr Quartey has revealed measures have rather been put in place to get the structures regularised.

The Minister on October 19, 2022, led a team of security personnel to begin the demolition of fence walls on waterways at the Sakumono Ramsar site.

The exercise, which received approval from the Tema and Nungua Traditional Councils, was to help avert any possible flooding situation.

An inventory was subsequently taken on the number of houses illegally constructed on the Ramsar site to pave way for the second phase of the demolition.

But Mr Quartey announced the new development at a stakeholder meeting on Sunday, stating plans are underway to get a comprehension roadmap.

“I want to say here and now that not a single building will be demolished.

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“We will go through some processes of discussions, and we will have this kind of meeting again in about three weeks’ time by which time we would have had a clear road map,” he announced.

The 1,200 acres of land which hold thousands of gallons of water each year to prevent flooding in the surrounding communities is now under threat due to mass encroachment.

The approval of chiefs and elders of the two communities is, therefore, to allow the area to serve the purpose for which it was created.

Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, has led a team of security personnel to demolish structures on waterways at the Sakumono Ramsar site.

The exercise, which has received approval from the Tema and Nungua Traditional Councils, is to help avert any possible flooding situation.

The 1,200 acres of land which hold thousands of gallons of water each year to prevent flooding in the surrounding communities is now under threat due to mass encroachment.

The approval of chiefs and elders of the two communities is, therefore, to allow the area to serve the purpose for which it was created.

Mr Quartey stated that occupants of the land have been given enough notification to vacate the land.

“We’ve been talking about Ramsar in the last two months; we believe we’ve had over 70 days notice, which is enough for them. Any time we speak, they go ahead and build with impunity,” he maintained.

The Minister fought off claims the demolition was a political agenda stating it was in the interest of the nation.

“This is no politics; I repeat this is no politics. It is work for mother Ghana and it will go on,” he vowed.

Video attached above:

The chiefs and elders of the two communities have given their express approval to remove all illegal structures at the Ramsar site to allow it to serve the purpose for which it was created.

At a stakeholders engagement meeting with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Greater Accra Regional Security Council, Tema and Nungua Traditional Council and the Tema Development Corporation, the two traditional authorities bemoaned illegal activities at the site and encouraged the government to take steps towards the recovery of the encroached lands.

The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Benito Owusu-Bio, commended the chiefs for living up to their position as pre-acquisition owners of lands by offering their support to the government.

He bewailed the invasion of the Ramsar Site by illegal occupants and vowed to clear them and make the space serve the purpose for which it was created.

He dismissed notions that government has some ulterior motive in clearing the land and assured that everything done on the site will be in accordance with the recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee that was set up to probe the issues at the site and craft a report with far-reaching conclusions.

“Government intends to use the land for anything development. Government wants to leave the lands as Ramsar site due to its benefit and importance. We’ve investigated and are aware of the places that have been encroached.

“I have a report of an inter-ministerial committee and there are some recommendations. We’ll look at the recommendations and implement them accordingly,” he said.

Henry Quartey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, explained that the government took the initiative to engage the chiefs due to its recognition of the chiefs as key stakeholders in the mission to reclaim the encroached lands.

He said that the Lands Ministry has the mandate to protect the Ramsar Site and that the GARCC will offer its utmost support to the ministry.

The meeting with the chiefs and their blessings paves way for the planned demolition exercise at the Ramsar Site.