LA Pleasure Beach Vendors Panic Over Threatened Demolition, Appeal To Mahama

Story by Fada Amakye

Tension is brewing at the La Pleasure Beach Resort in Accra after vendors and operators were allegedly ordered to vacate the premises ahead of a planned demolition exercise.

Public Relations Officer of the beach, Abdul Raman, said at about 5 a.m. on Friday, Mr. Richard Jakpa, Director of Special Operations at the National Security Council Secretariat, stormed the beach with a message that the entire beachfront would be demolished.

According to him, Mr. Jakpa told vendors to pack their belongings, claiming he was taking back government land.

He told them that everybody should pack everything because he is coming to demolish the entire beach, not one place, but the entire La Pleasure Beach resort. About 3,000 workers are on the shore right now and everybody is afraid, Abdul Raman said.

He said the management has documents from the La Beach Resort Management Committee covering their portion of the beachfront, and does not understand the claim that the beach belongs to government.

The PRO said the matter is already before court. The operators of Polo Beach Club, Spartan-Ives Limited, have filed a lawsuit against Labadi Beach Hotel and Richard Jakpa over ownership of the beachfront, after Labadi Beach Hotel discontinued its earlier suit claiming the land.

Polo Beach Club is also seeking an injunction to restrain the hotel and National Security officials from demolishing the club pending the court’s decision.

If you are claiming this land belongs to the government, then produce documents saying this land belongs to government. We are challenging the entire National Security and the Labadi Beach Hotel in court. We have served Mr. Jakpa and the hotel management, he stressed.

Abdul Raman appealed to President John Dramani Mahama, the National Security Coordinator and other authorities to call Mr. Jakpa to order and allow the court to determine the matter.

As at press time, neither the National Security Secretariat nor Labadi Beach Hotel had officially responded to the latest allegations.