Encroachers on the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ghana's (EPCG) tract of property in Cantonment, Accra, have been warned to cease any active project on the site or face the church's wrath.
Despite a court dispute ongoing over the title of the site, the church alleged, the defendants in the case, Orchard N Properties Plus Limited, was busy developing the area through its agent, Nana Yaw.
Togbui Gobah Tengey Seddoh, the President of Defenders of the Faith, an EPCG organization, told media in Accra that as a law-abiding church, "we have resorted to utilize the required legal steps to handle the situation and not use force to halt the extreme disrespect now on–going inside the church."
Workers were busy preparing a foundation for an anticipated unlawful project when journalists arrived at the site Tuesday morning.
Togbui Gobah told the media that the High Court had issued an injunction prohibiting all parties, their agents, laborers, assigns, privies, representatives, and anyone else from interacting with the land until the case was finally resolved in court.
Disobedience to a court order
He said, however, that despite being served with the court proceedings, the developer had ignored the injunction and was constructing the area.
Togbui Gobah, who explained how the church gained the land, said it was donated to the church by American Missionaries in the 1950s as they were leaving the nation, and it has been used by the church ever since.
The property belongs to the church.
"Today, we have discovered that certain individuals have encroached on this land, and we are here to inform the entire world that this property is owned by the E. P. Church Ghana." It is not suitable for anybody. He stated, "It is for us."
He wondered how the developer could defy the court and deploy employees to develop the property.
"Even with an injunction, you intend to use force to seize a property that is not yours?" This is not permitted anyplace in the world, and it must not be permitted in this nation as well," he stated.