Prayer Palace International Church says it’s under siege and is calling on authorities to intervene in a land dispute involving an alleged Chinese developer at its Manet-Spintex property.
Speaking to the media during a press conference today at the church premises, Head Pastor Prophet Emmanuel Adjei explained the church bought about 4 acres of land from Samuel Kofi Diame in 2019.
A year later, the Numo Kofi Anum family of Tesa, Teshie, surfaced with a Supreme Court judgement claiming ownership.
“Per our investigations we realised that they are the rightful owners of the land. So we had to atone tenancy to them,” Prophet Adjei said. The church began paying atonement to the Numo Kofi Anum family and, he says, lived peacefully with them.
Trouble started two weeks ago when the church began development on the land. Land guards allegedly stormed the site and stopped work, claiming the church wasn’t the “bonafide” owner.
“We called the Numo Kofi Anum family, the owners of the land, and it turned out they had no knowledge of a Chinese national claiming ownership of the land,” the Prophet added.
The matter was reported to the Ghana Police Service and referred to the Property Fraud Unit for investigation. Both parties were told to stay off the land for one week. But Prayer Palace officials allege construction continued on the site during that period, despite police instructions.
Church leaders say enforcement has been weak and the situation has agitated over 2,500 congregants who contributed to buy the land. They are now urging authorities to fast-track investigations and protect the property.
“The church is worried, the church is agitated. They’ve contributed, they’ve bought land, they want to develop and a Chinese man without documentation, being supervised by Ghanaians, is invading a land that belongs to Ghanaians,” Prophet Adjei stated.
Prayer Palace is asking authorities to uphold the rule of law and ensure justice is served while ownership is verified.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
