The High Court in Accra has cited the Director General of Operations of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP) Vance Baba Gariba, along with other senior police officers, for contempt of court in connection with the long-running and increasingly tense Nmai Djor land dispute involving Madam Bortiokor Veronica and Trasacco Development Limited.
The contempt proceedings stem from an alleged open disregard for an interlocutory injunction issued by the court in a suit filed by Madam Bortiokor Veronica, a native of Nungua, against Trasacco Development Company Limited and other parties. The case, docketed as G/TM/HLG/E1/125/2025, relates to the ownership and control of a disputed 111-acre tract of land at Nmai Djor, which is said to fall under the custodianship of the Nungua Stool.
In a strongly worded press statement, the Youth and Traditional Leaders of Nungua emphasized that the injunction, served more than three months ago, remains clear, binding, and enforceable until set aside by the court. They stressed that any activity on the land during the subsistence of the order constitutes a direct violation of the law and amounts to contempt.
Despite the injunction, the statement alleges that DSP Nafiu Shittu, COP Vance Baba Gariba, and Chief Inspector Evans Osae have willfully defied the court by continuing to deploy police officers to supervise and provide security for what the group described as “illegal and provocative activities” on the disputed land.
According to the statement, the cited officers have persisted in directing their subordinates to facilitate operations on the land, even after being hauled before the court for contempt, a situation the leaders described as a grave affront to judicial authority.
The Council has therefore called on the Police Management Board to take immediate and decisive action against the implicated officers, warning that failure to do so risks eroding public confidence in the Ghana Police Service and undermining the authority of the judiciary.
The statement also condemned the alleged continuation of construction works by Trasacco Development, reportedly supported by armed land guards and security personnel claiming judicial and political backing. The leaders described the situation as a dangerous slide into impunity and a direct challenge to the rule of law.
“This is a blatant defiance of a lawful court order and an unacceptable abuse of power. We will not remain silent while our ancestral lands are forcibly taken and our people are subjected to fear and intimidation,” the statement warned.
In a final ultimatum, the Youth and Traditional Leaders demanded the immediate withdrawal of all land guards, armed personnel, and any form of military presence from the disputed site by Trasacco Development, Empire Builders, and members of the Teshie Okpelor Sowah Din family. They insisted that court orders and traditional land rights must be respected without exception.
The group has further appealed to the government and the leadership of the Ghana Police Service to act swiftly to restore calm and uphold the rule of law in Nmai Djor, cautioning that continued inaction could threaten peace, stability, and legitimate development in the area.
As tensions continue to rise, attention is now focused on the courts and the police hierarchy to enforce accountability and reaffirm the supremacy of the law.
