*La Stool Slams 3:30AM La Beach Ressort Demolition, Says SSNIT Has No Claim To Beachfront - Committee To Be Formed After Apology*

Story Reported by Gideon Kotey 

The La Traditional Council says it was blindsided by the early morning demolition that leveled the La Pleasure Beach enclave, popularly called Laboma Beach, last Friday, despite being the allodial owners of the land.

The Council's spokesperson, La Shikitele Nii Adjei Koofeh IV, disclosed this at a press conference on Tuesday, October 7, 2026, to set the records straight after days of public speculation.

According to Nii Koofeh IV, the Council only learned of the planned demolition on September 16 through COLA - the Coalition of La Associations - and some management members of La Pleasure Beach Resort, who said they had been engaging the Director of Special Operations at National Security, Mr. Richard Jakpa, for about a month.

"They thought our reps on the beach management would have informed us," he explained.

The team alleged that the Board Chairman of Labadi Beach Hotel had initiated the National Security operation.

The Council immediately wrote to invite the Board Chairman and the Managing Director of the hotel for a meeting, but they asked for two weeks, citing ill-health of the Chairman.

In the meantime, the La Dadekotopon MP, the La Dade-Kotopon MCE and the NDC constituency leadership visited the palace and assured the Council that checks from higher authorities showed no knowledge of any demolition and that they would stop it.

Last week, the MCE and the constituency chairman returned to say they were still working on it and would update the Council this week.

That update never came. At about 3:30 a.m. on Friday, October 3, the bulldozers arrived.

"Nobody formally engaged the Traditional Council. Government never engaged us," Nii Koofeh stressed.

*Secret Meeting After Demolition*

After the demolition, a crisis meeting was convened on Monday, October 6, at the National Security Council Secretariat.

The meeting, chaired by the National Security Coordinator, was attended by the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, the La MCE, Board and Management members of Labadi Beach Hotel and La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, the Director-General of SSNIT and his team, and beach management reps. Presidential Advisor, Dr. Valerie Sawyer, was invited but absent.

At the meeting, SSNIT, owners of both Labadi Beach Hotel and La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, claimed the beachfront land falls under the 1967 Trade Fair Site acquisition and therefore belongs to them.

National Security on its part cited human security concerns.

SSNIT further justified the demolition, saying the existing makeshift structures at Laboma did not befit a five-star and a four-star hotel and were hurting patronage and returns on pensioners' investments.

*La Fights Back: No Compensation Paid*

The Council rejected that claim outright.

"We told them that the land was acquired from the La Stool and no compensation has been paid. Nothing should go on there without our involvement. We also know that the southern part of the acquisition doesn't cover the entire beach," Nii Koofeh said.

The Council also expressed anger over a SSNIT press release that said SSNIT would "continue to engage" the Traditional Council, creating the impression that prior engagement had taken place.

"Which wasn't true. So we spoke to SSNIT on that, and they apologized. National Security also apologized for not engaging us," he revealed. He added that National Security had argued that "not every operation requires public engagement," a view the Council dismissed, insisting as primary stakeholders and landowners, they should have been alerted.

*Redevelopment On Hold*

The outcome of Monday's meeting, Nii Koofeh said, is that SSNIT's planned redevelopment has been put on hold. A joint committee will be formed to examine all issues, including SSNIT's development plans, land ownership and compensation.

The Council tabled three key demands: the interest of the La Stool must be secured, La indigenes working at the beach must be protected, and vendors and businesses who lost properties in the demolition must be compensated and considered in the redevelopment.

"They accepted all that. We are now waiting for the formation of the committee," he said.

"Though we are for development, we want the right thing to be done. Anything that will give more value to the place for La, and enhance benefits to the La State and La citizens, we are for it. But everything must be done right."

Source: www.truthtvnews.com

Editor, Nii Amon 0276773479