Seasoned journalist Kwesi Pratt has questioned why ordinary people who have no direct stake in land ownership often become the victims of violent land disputes.
Commenting on the Gomoa-Effutu land litigation saga, Mr Pratt said people who fight during such clashes often do not benefit from the sale or exploitation of the disputed land.
“Invariably, all the time, the victims are those who really have no stake in land ownership,” he said.
According to him, such people do not receive the proceeds from the sale of the land and do not benefit from its exploitation.
“They don’t benefit from the sale of the land. They don’t benefit from the exploitation of the land,” he said.
He argued that people can be mobilised around land disputes and end up becoming the ones who suffer the consequences.
Mr Pratt said the people who stand to benefit financially from disputed land are often not the ones exposed to the risks during clashes.
“The people who actually benefit from the sale of the land and its exploitation never die. They don’t get injured,” he said.
He therefore believes attention should go beyond the people directly involved in clashes and focus on those who may be benefiting from the disputes.
He later raised questions about the source of weapons reportedly used during the Gomoa-Effutu conflict.
According to him, guns are expensive and questions should be asked about who financed or supplied them.
“Who financed it? Who bought the guns and so on?” he asked.
Mr Pratt said investigations should not stop with people who allegedly use weapons during clashes.
He argued that those who finance or supply the weapons should also be identified and dealt with.
“It’s about time that we begin to look for the big people, the cash people behind these disturbances and deal with them rather than dealing with these innocent tools of the big people,” he said.
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