16/11/2025
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Land Guarding and Land Disputes in Ghana: A Growing Threat to Community Peace and National Stability
Land is one of the most emotionally charged and economically valuable assets in Ghana. For many families, land symbolises heritage, security, and future prosperity. Because of this deep attachment, land disputes have become a constant feature of our national life. What used to be simple boundary misunderstandings has now escalated into violent confrontations, manipulation by power brokers, and the rise of armed land guard groups.
Today, land guarding and land-related violence have moved from being a local nuisance to a major national security concern, affecting community peace, slowing development, and undermining confidence in the justice system.
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1. How Land Disputes Start in Ghana
Most land disputes arise from a mix of structural problems and human behaviour:
a. Multiple Sales of the Same Plot
Because different factions claim ownership—stools, families, heads of family, or “caretakers”—one piece of land is often sold to several unsuspecting buyers. When construction begins, conflict follows.
b. Chieftaincy Rivalries and Boundary Conflicts
When two or more factions fight over who controls a stool or clan land, every buyer in that area becomes exposed to danger, extortion, or lawsuit.
c. Weak Documentation and Fraud
Indistinct boundaries, forged indentures, and the slow pace of land searches create opportunities for criminals who exploit ordinary buyers.
These gaps create the perfect conditions for land guards to thrive, because people lose trust in formal systems and turn to “muscle” for protection.
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2. The Rise of Land Guarding
Land guarding started as a local arrangement where landowners hired young men to prevent encroachers. But over time, it evolved into well-organised, violent networks controlling entire development zones.
Modern land guards:
• Attack legitimate landowners
• Seize land by force
• Demand illegal “construction entry” fees
• Chase away contractors
• Intimidate estate developers
• Operate with weapons and sometimes with political or traditional backing
Some have even become more feared than lawful security agencies within certain communities.
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3. Why Land Guarding Is a National Security Threat
a. Violence and Killings
Accra, Kasoa, Amasaman, Adenta, Prampram, and parts of Kumasi frequently record clashes resulting in injuries and deaths.
b. Erosion of Public Confidence
When violent youth groups can take over land while police struggle to respond, citizens lose trust in the justice system.
c. Rising Cost of Development
Investors fear buying land or starting projects in volatile areas. This affects housing delivery, job creation, and economic growth.
d. Criminal Recruitment
Land guarding has become a gateway for young men to enter robbery, extortion, gang activities, and political vigilantism.
This is why land guarding is no longer simply a land issue—it is a national security challenge requiring coordinated action.
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4. The Law Exists—But Enforcement Is Weak
Ghana has clear laws against land guard activities, especially under the:
• Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999)
• Criminal Offences Act
• Various local by-laws
But enforcement is slow due to:
• Fear of retaliation
• Influence of traditional and political actors
• Complex chieftaincy disputes
• Delays in court decisions
• Limited policing resources in peri-urban growth areas
These weaknesses allow land guards to grow stronger.
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5. Why Coonley Security Solutions Is Critical in This Environment
The rise of land guards is directly linked to the absence of professional, regulated, lawful security support for landowners, developers, and communities.
Many people turn to illegal land guards out of fear and frustration—not because they prefer violence, but because they lack a legitimate alternative.
Coonley Security Solutions Ltd. (CSSL) provides that legitimate alternative.
What Coonley Security Brings to the Table
• Professionally trained, uniformed guards
• Lawful protection services backed by proper licensing
• Intelligence-led security operations
• Conflict mitigation and peaceful dispute-handling
• Collaboration with the police and local authorities
• Ethical security services that prevent violence rather than provoke it
Where land guards use machetes and intimidation, Coonley Security Solutions uses professionalism, legality, and accountability.
Where land guarding breeds fear, CSSL offers safety, stability, and lawful protection.
Where land guard networks escalate disputes, CSSL focuses on de-escalation, prevention, and compliance with national security standards.
In today’s Ghana, the presence of companies like Coonley Security Solutions is not optional—it is essential for community safety, investor confidence, and national development.
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6. The Way Forward for Ghana
To curb land guarding, Ghana must:
• Strengthen policing in developing areas
• Fast-track land and chieftaincy cases
• Digitise land records and enhance boundary mapping
• Prosecute the financiers behind land guard groups
• Promote public awareness on lawful land acquisition
• Encourage the use of licensed private security companies rather than illegal militias
Ending land guarding is a national responsibility—but private security companies like Coonley Security Solutions provide the practical, immediate support landowners and developers need every day.
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About the Writer
Paul Coonley Boateng is the CEO of Coonley Security Solutions Ltd. and President of the African Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (ACSIS).
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https://www.coonleysecuritygh.com/
