The Adentan High Court (2) has ordered that Greater Accra Regional Minister Linda Ocloo be served with a motion seeking her committal for contempt of court over allegations that she disregarded an injunction restraining any development on a disputed parcel of land earmarked for the proposed relocation of the Dodowa Market.
The court also directed that a hearing notice be served on the Minister, requiring her to appear and explain why she should not be committed to prison for allegedly breaching the court order.
As part of the proceedings, the court granted an application for substituted service, ordering that copies of the motion and hearing notice be posted on the Adentan High Court notice board and on the walls of the Minister’s residence, or left with an adult at the residence. The documents are also to be served on the Chief Director of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council and published in the *Daily Graphic*.
The orders were issued in the case titled Republic v. Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, ex parte Bernard Oduro, suing through his lawful attorney, Felix Mishio Ankonam. The matter has been adjourned to June 24, 2026.
The contempt application stems from an ongoing dispute over a parcel of land claimed by Bernard Oduro, which has been identified as the proposed site for the relocation of the Dodowa Market.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the application, Mr Oduro obtained an interlocutory injunction on October 22, 2025, restraining the Minister from undertaking any development on the land pending the final determination of the substantive case.
He stated that the injunction was duly served on both the Minister and the Chief Director of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council.
However, Mr Oduro alleged that around April 17, 2026, he discovered that portions of the land were being cleared and graded. He claimed investigations revealed that the persons undertaking the exercise were acting on the instructions of the Regional Minister.
The applicant said he subsequently reported the matter to the Ghana Police Service, leading to the arrest of those involved in the work.
Despite the arrests, he alleged that Ms Ocloo later visited the Police Headquarters on April 24 and ordered the release of the individuals, indicating that they had acted under her directives.
Mr Oduro further claimed that the Minister, in the presence of the Director of Special Operations, stated that work on the land would continue despite the injunction because the property was needed for the relocation of the Dodowa Market.
According to the affidavit, warnings from his lawyers that such actions would amount to a violation of the court order were ignored.
The applicant also alleged that on April 28, the Minister granted interviews to two Accra-based radio stations during which she acknowledged being aware of both the pending litigation and the injunction but maintained that the planned activities would proceed.
Mr Oduro contends that the Minister sought to justify her actions on grounds that she was carrying out a national assignment, despite lacking lawful authority to act contrary to the court’s orders.
He is therefore asking the court to find that the Minister’s actions amounted to wilful disobedience of a valid court order and, consequently, contempt of court.
