A near-chaotic confrontation broke out between police officers and staff of Panbros Salt Industries Limited at Weija over a contentious land dispute.
The altercation reportedly occurred during an attempt by the police to arrest several workers of the salt company.
According to Daniel Boye, Operations Manager of Panbros Salt Industries, management had decided to evacuate large deposits of laterite that had been dumped in the company’s salt pans by an individual claiming ownership of the land.
While the evacuation was underway, the claimant—identified as Baba Ngida—arrived at the site accompanied by four uniformed police officers and several men in plain clothes. The group attempted to arrest the operator of a pay loader as well as some tipper truck drivers.
“In resistance, our other staff also mobilised to prevent the police from arresting their colleagues,” Boye told Citi News.
The situation quickly escalated, prompting the intervention of another police team from the Weija District Police Command, who stepped in to de-escalate tensions and restore calm.
Meanwhile, the company has voiced serious concerns over continued attempts to take over parts of its operational land. Management says the ongoing encroachment has already caused significant financial losses and threatens the livelihood of many employees.
Eugene Afful, the Human Resource Manager of Panbros Salt Industries—one of Ghana’s oldest and indigenously owned salt producers—warned that job cuts may become inevitable if the issue persists.
“We may have to lay off some workers in the future if nothing is done to protect our lands. We have already lost some mines which run into several millions of Ghana cedis. We need the government’s protection from these Chinese nationals seeking to destroy our investment,” he said.
As the land dispute deepens, the company is calling on authorities to intervene and protect its operations from further disruption.
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