Barely weeks after the Supreme Court of Ghana delivered a definitive judgment restoring customary land rights to two Ga families in East Dadekotopon, a fresh controversy is unfolding, one that critics say strikes at the very heart of the rule of law and threatens security in the Tse Addo enclave.
The Interior Minister, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, is facing mounting accusations of attempting to subjugate and override a Supreme Court ruling delivered in November 2025, by forcefully reallocating the disputed land to the Ahmadiyya Mission, a body that was never a party to the litigation that culminated in the apex court’s decision.
The allegations, now the subject of multiple high-level petitions, stem from events that have reportedly pushed the area to the brink of violent confrontation.
Background on Supreme Court Judgment
On November 12, 2025, the Supreme Court, presided over by Justice Pwamang JSC, decisively set aside the judgments of the High Court and the Court of Appeal in the long-running land dispute involving a 2.00-acre parcel at East Dadekotopon.
In its ruling, the Court described the findings of the lower courts as “perverse” and “inconsistent with the totality of evidence.”
It affirmed that the Ataa Tawiah Tsinaiaatse and Nuumo Ofuli Kwashie families had never surrendered their customary ownership rights, despite the establishment of the East Dadekotopon Development Trust (EDDT).
The Court further struck down as invalid the land title certificates issued to Hillsview Development Limited and its assignee, Adolph Tetteh Adjei, citing fatal procedural breaches in the execution of the Trust’s conveyance.
In emphatic terms, the apex court held that the families’ customary grant of 2005, being earlier in time and protected under Section 46(1)(f) of PNDCL 152, prevails over any later registration, particularly where the customary owners were in actual occupation.
That judgment, by law, is final and binding.
Fresh Claims, New Beneficiaries
Yet, according to the affected families, the Interior Minister has allegedly sanctioned the deployment of security personnel to the land with the apparent intention of allocating it to the Ahmadiyya Mission, citing national security considerations.
Sources close to the families insist that the Mission’s claim is not grounded in any court ruling, legal conveyance, or customary grant, and raises troubling questions about religious favouritism and executive overreach.
“The Ahmadiyya Mission was never part of the Adjei vrs. Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Holy Quaye case,” Numo Daniel Kwashie, a representative of the Nuumo Ofuli Kwashie Family, told this paper. “Yet they are being positioned as beneficiaries of land the Supreme Court has already ruled belongs to us.”
Security Forces in Standoff
Tensions reportedly escalated dramatically in recent days when security operatives from National Security, already present on the land, came close to clashing with another group of officers allegedly deployed at the direction of the Interior Minister.
Eyewitness accounts say the situation nearly degenerated into a bloody confrontation between state security agencies, a development that has alarmed residents and local leaders alike.
Calm was only restored following the timely intervention of the Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, Mustapha Gbande, whose involvement reportedly prevented what could have become a national embarrassment and a grave security incident.
Petitions Hit the Presidency and Parliament
In response, the Ataa Tawiah Tsinaiaatse and Nuumo Ofuli Kwashie families have filed formal petitions to the President of the Republic, the Chief of Staff, and the Speaker of Parliament.
The petitions accused Interior Minister Muntaka of abuse of office, disregard for judicial authority, and actions likely to fuel insecurity in an already tense area.
The families argue that any attempt by a sitting minister to overturn or sidestep a Supreme Court ruling through administrative or security means constitutes a direct assault on constitutional governance.
A Brewing Security Threat
Security analyst, Dr Franklyn Biney, warn that the Interior Minister’s alleged partial interference could dangerously inflame tensions in Tse Addo, an area with a long history of land disputes.
“When political authority is seen to override judicial decisions, it creates a volatile mix,” one analyst noted. “People lose faith in the courts and begin to defend what they believe is theirs by other means.”
Residents now fear that continued deployment of armed personnel, without a clear legal basis, could turn a civil land matter into a flashpoint for violence.
Rule of Law on Trial
At the centre of this unfolding saga is a fundamental question: Can a Supreme Court judgment be effectively ignored by executive action?
For the aggrieved families, the answer must be a resounding no.
As pressure mounts on the Presidency and Parliament to intervene, the handling of the Tse Addo land dispute is rapidly becoming a national test of Ghana’s commitment to the rule of law, judicial independence, and equal treatment before the law, regardless of religion or political power.
Efforts to reach the Interior Minister for his response were ongoing at the time of filing this report.
