Alleged sale of state lands: Parliament must summon Lands Minister – Murtala Mohammed

Tamale Central Member of Parliament, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, has called for the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, to appear before Parliament to address allegations of widespread sale of state lands in his constituency and other regions across Ghana.

The MP alleges that, lands allocated to the Tamale West hospital have been sold off, with ongoing development activities reported on these properties.

Additionally, he claims bungalows and other accommodation units belonging to the prison service in his jurisdiction have also been sold.

Addressing these concerns during a parliamentary session, Mohammed emphasised the seriousness of these allegations and expressed his full support for summoning the minister to provide clarity on the matter.

“I want to add my voice that the Minister for lands appears before this house to provide some answers to some specific and pertinent questions. In Tamale Central, state lands are being shared like ‘koose’ or roasted groundnut.”

“Mr Speaker, to the extent that the population of Tamale is skyrocketing day by day…the land that belongs to the Tamale West Hospital has been sold and people are developing with speed. You go there in the night and they are putting up [buildings]. The local government road heading towards estates, bungalows and properties belonging to the state have been sold.

“The prison officers called me and complained that they were selling the land, they asked them to vacate the accommodation and that they were sold…As I talk to you, the entire roof of the buildings on that stretch has been ripped off.”

“It means that the prison officers who don’t have accommodation where the prison is located would have to look for accommodation elsewhere. That is a serious matter,” he stated.