The John Emmanuel Kofi Quansah family has vehemently rejected allegations that KOANS Building Solutions Chief Executive Officer, Kofi Anokye, illegally acquired lands at Kyekyewere, insisting that the parcels were legitimately granted to him for estate development.

Addressing journalists at a news conference in Accra, the Principal Elder of the family, Nii Otoo Hortoi II, challenged anyone disputing the family’s claim to the lands to seek redress in court rather than accuse the company of land theft.

“We, the John Emmanuel Kofi Quansah family, have granted portions of our land to Andrews Kofi Anokye, the CEO of KOANS Building Solutions, for estate development.

He has not stolen any land from the people of Kyekyewere or any other community within the area,” the family head declared.

The family’s emphatic response comes amid controversy surrounding ownership of portions of the Kyekyewere lands in the Eastern Region.

‘We Are Ga, But Our Ancestor Legally Acquired the Land’

In a further defence, the Quansah family dismissed arguments that Ga people, the indigenous people of the Greater Accra area, could not legally own land within the Apapam enclave in the Eastern Region.

The family maintained that its ancestral ownership dates back to 1890, when its great-grandfather, John Emmanuel Kofi Quansah, allegedly acquired portions of the Apapam Stool lands from the traditional authorities at the time.According to the family, the acquisition was subsequently affirmed by a 1914 Supreme Court judgment, which it says provides the historical and legal basis for its claim.

“We are Ga, but our great-grandfather, John Emmanuel Kofi Quansah, acquired portions of the Apapam lands in 1890, and the Supreme Court judgment of 1914 affirmed that acquisition,” the family stated.

To buttress its argument, the family cited the longstanding presence of the Okyenhene’s residence at Adabraka as an example of how land could be legally acquired outside one’s traditional area of origin.

Quansah Family Stands Firm

The family insisted that its claim to the disputed lands was grounded in historical acquisition records and the 1914 court judgment, rejecting suggestions that its Ga identity invalidated its ownership claims in the Eastern Region.

It further challenged individuals and communities contesting ownership of the lands to pursue the matter through the appropriate legal channels.

The family maintained that KOANS Building Solutions had not stolen the lands but had received portions of them from the Quansah family for estate development.

Family Cites Historical Records and Court Judgements

In a further statement, the Quansah family reiterated that KOANS Building Solutions legitimately acquired a portion of the Teacher Mante–Kyekyewere lands from the family for its real estate business.

According to the family, the land stretches from Teacher Mante to Asuboi in the Eastern Region and covers approximately 27 acres.

The family stated that its great-grandfather, John Emmanuel Kofi Quansah, acquired the land in 1890 from the then chief and elders of Apapam, within the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area.

It further outlined what it described as key historical and legal milestones in its efforts to establish and defend its ownership of the land.

These include a 1914 Supreme Court judgment, a declaration reportedly made in 1973, 1984 and the subsequent plotting and registration of the land at the Deeds Registry of the Lands Commission in Koforidua.

The family also cited a High Court judgment in Koforidua in its favour, stating that the relevant land records were plotted and registered with the appropriate authorities.

Based on these records, the family said it sold a portion of the land to KOANS Building Solutions for real estate development.

The family consequently described allegations by some chiefs from the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area that the land was wrongly acquired as false and urged the public not to be misled by such claims.

The principal elders and senior female members of the late John Emmanuel Kofi Quansah family maintained that the historical records and court judgments underpin their position that KOANS Building Solutions did not illegally acquire the disputed land.

They reiterated their call for anyone contesting ownership to seek redress through the appropriate legal processes rather than make what they described as unfounded allegations against the company.