An elderly woman with serious mobility challenges has made a deeply emotional appeal to President John Dramani Mahama, begging him to uphold the rule of law and restore justice in a protracted land dispute that has left her family exhausted, distressed and fearful.
Ms. Juliana Lokko, acting under Power of Attorney for her brother, Dr. Daniel Lokko, and his wife, Dr. (Mrs.) Doretta Lokko, says she writes “with a heavy yet hopeful heart” after years of what she describes as unrelenting encroachment on their family land at Dzornaman in Accra.
In identical petitions addressed to the President and Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the frail grandmother does not ask for special treatment. She asks only for one thing that a lawful court order be respected.
According to documents attached to the petitions, the Lokko family has held a valid Land Title Certificate for over twenty years. Since acquiring the property around 2002, they fenced it, installed a gate, and maintained a caretaker.
For nearly two decades, they say, they lived in peaceful possession.
But in 2022, that peace was shattered.
The family explains that unknown persons entered the land, claiming to be executing a judgment from a separate case relating to land at Okpoi Gonno — land the Lokkos insist is entirely different from their property at Dzornaman.
Alarmed, they turned to the High Court in Accra. On November 14, 2022, the court granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the alleged trespassers, their agents, assigns and anyone claiming through them from entering or developing the land pending final determination of the case.
That order, they stress, remains valid and in force.
Yet, according to the petitions, construction has continued.
“We Have Knocked on Every Door”
In her moving letter, Ms. Lokko recounts the family’s efforts to seek help through official channels.
They petitioned the Ghana Police Service, writing to the East Legon Police Station, the Greater Accra Regional Command, CID Headquarters and successive Inspectors-General of Police. They also petitioned National Security on multiple occasions.
“Despite these efforts, we have received no meaningful relief,” she wrote.
What pains her most, she says, are allegations that some persons identifying themselves as National Security operatives have intervened on the land — even after being shown the subsisting court injunction.
The family’s separate urgent petition raises concerns about the reported involvement of Col. Daniel Nii Armah Quaye, Director of Operations at National Security, and Prince Vitus Nungyeni, also known as “Batman.” They allege that operatives were deployed to the site, their representatives were forcibly removed, and construction resumed despite assurances that activities would cease.
These claims remain allegations, but the family insists they have attached court orders, land title certificates, Lands Commission search results and copies of prior petitions to support their case.
“At this stage of my life,” Ms. Lokko wrote, “I never imagined I would be pleading for the enforcement of a lawful court order in my own country.”
Her words are less legal argument than personal anguish.
She speaks of financial strain from prolonged litigation. She describes the emotional toll of watching her family’s property land they lawfully acquired and registered — being developed amid an unresolved court case. She acknowledges her own physical limitations and the burden of moving from office to office seeking intervention.
Yet, even in distress, her tone remains respectful.
She appeals to President Mahama not only as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief, but “as a father who understands the anguish of seeing his family endure injustice.”
To Vice President Opoku-Agyemang, she writes “as a mother who understands the pain of seeing her family suffer.”
Fear of Escalation
The petitions warn that continued disregard for the court’s injunction risks heightening tensions on the ground. There are fears that structures allegedly being erected could be sold to unsuspecting third parties, potentially dragging innocent buyers into a legal quagmire.
The family says they seek no advantage over anyone.
Their prayers are clear:
That no further development take place pending the court’s final determination.
That the subsisting injunction order be respected and enforced.
That the reported conduct of the named officials be reviewed and investigated.
That the authority of the courts be upheld to prevent escalation.
At its core, this is not just a land dispute. It is a plea about faith in institutions.
For Ms. Juliana Lokko, the matter has become a painful test of whether an elderly citizen, armed with a valid land title and a court injunction, can rely on the State to protect her rights.
With her mobility limited and her strength waning, she now waits not at a police station or court registry but in hope that her voice, carried in ink to Jubilee House, will be heard.
Her appeal is simple: Let the law speak. Let the court’s order stand. Let justice prevail.