Police are investigating the feuding sides in the land dispute that is suspected to have resulted in the act of arson at a church located at Okpoigonno on the Spintex Road in Accra.
Assailants, armed with machetes and assault rifles, set the auditorium of the Believers House of Worship ablaze resulting in the destruction of about 500 chairs, musical instruments, and some electrical gadgets worth thousands of cedis.
[contextly_sidebar id=”pHnomgTxCEURFJJeKJISfZMnGc78qa7h”]With the land dispute underpinning the incident, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Kwame Danso said: “all parties to the conflict have been invited by the police for further investigations to help the police to unravel the brain behind that particular act yesterday.”
“Preliminary investigations disclose that the land on which the church is cited is the subject of investigations between the church and another party so the regional police command has summoned all parties to the dispute to report for further investigation,” he told Citi News.
Business as usual for church
For the church itself, the leadership of and congregants are taking the destruction in their stride. The church’s head pastor, Reverend Abraham Lamptey noted to Citi News that “what does not break you strengthens you so it rather made us strong and we are marching forward. So it’s a wonderful moment.”
As early as 5:30 am, members of his congregation were at the premises to offer support ahead of a service on Tuesday morning, which was to take place under canopies.
For service on Sunday, the owners of a lot next to the church have granted the church permission to make use of it, Rev. Lamptey disclosed.
Despite the clear threat of violence, the Church will not be relinquishing its claim to the land, though Rev. Lamptey stopped short of accusing the opposing party in the land dispute of the crime.
“I don’t think it is about letting go of the land. I believe it is somebody who is not okay with something. I don’t want to speculate but everything that has a beginning has an end and we are pursuing it legally and the outcome will settle everything. I don’t want to sound as though whoever took us to court is responsible. I want the police to do their job.”
–
By: Farida Shaibu/Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana