Two critically injured after suspected landguards open fire in Okurase land dispute

Two people are in critical condition after being shot and attacked by suspected landguards during a violent dispute over a cassava farm at Okurase, near Adeiso, in the Eastern Region.

The victims, who are from Awutu, said their ancestors legally purchased the land decades ago, and portions were later leased to farmers under a local sharecropping system known as “Yɛ ma yɛn kyɛ.”

According to them, their 92-year-old grandmother had given 10 acres of land to a farmer named Anum for cassava cultivation last year. She later sent her grandchildren to the farm to collect their share of the harvest.

However, when they arrived, they were reportedly ambushed by a group of armed landguards allegedly led by a man known as “Ninja.”

The attackers opened fire, pepper-sprayed their faces, and inflicted machete wounds on the victims. One man was hit in the eye with a gun, while another sustained a gunshot wound to the head.

The victims claim that the attackers initially planned to kill them in a nearby forest, but one of the assailants intervened, and they were instead taken to the Adeiso Police Station.

Meanwhile, the Mbratohene of Okurase, Nana Kumavi Amenyanu, has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to act swiftly to curb the growing violence.

He accused the group, led by “Ninja,” of terrorizing residents and seizing lands in the area, warning that locals may be forced to defend themselves if authorities fail to intervene.