Anyaa Atlas Hills residents stage fiery protest over decades of neglect, poor roads, and landguard terror

Irate residents of Anyaa Atlas Hills in the Ga Central Municipal District staged a massive and highly charged street protest on Sunday, November 9, 2025, venting their frustration over what they term decades of sustained governmental neglect that has rendered their community almost uninhabitable.

Dressed symbolically in red headgear and red armbands and bearing a variety of pointed placards, the residents marched to draw urgent national attention to the severe triple crises plaguing their area: unmotorable roads, crippling insecurity, and the lawless invasion of landguards.

The protesters, whose placards bore messages such as ‘Come to our aid, Mr Allotey’, ‘Roads are made to serve the community’, ‘Say no to land encroachment’, ‘Bad roads cost lives – repair them’, ‘Poor roads, poor economy – build for progress’, and ‘Stop neglect, fix urban and rural roads alike’, are demanding urgent, concrete intervention from the relevant authorities.

The Road Crisis: From Neglect to Cut-Off Community

The core grievance is the severe deterioration of access roads, a problem that has persisted for nearly two decades.

The roads are now largely unmotorable, with the situation worsening dramatically during the rains, when the community becomes effectively cut off from the rest of the municipality, forcing residents to embark on long journeys on foot.

Bankie Wilson, President of the Atlas Hills Landlords and Tenants Association, lamented the profound consequences:

“You see from the gathering that people are really agitated and are not happy with the events that are unfolding within our area. Our roads are bad. We have a bad drainage system. Security, too, is a major concern.”

Residents detailed a history of ignored pleas, including countless petitions to the Municipal Assembly and the central government.

They highlighted an extraordinary measure of their own: their willingness to personally fuel earthmoving equipment (DRIP machines) if the Assembly would simply provide the machinery to level the worst sections—an offer they claim has been completely ignored.

The abysmal road network has critical impacts:

• Economic Strain: Delivery of goods and services is delayed or entirely refused by transport operators, stifling local commerce.
• Health Emergencies: Crucially, emergency vehicles struggle or fail to reach residents in crisis, turning minor health issues into life-threatening emergencies.

Mr. Wilson also referenced a self-funded community project that addressed a critical infrastructure failure: “Look, there was a bridge that linked the main road to our area. The bridge was virtually damaged. And when it rains, no vehicle goes, no vehicle comes. We took it upon ourselves to get that bridge fixed without government intervention. Atlas Hills residents are suffering from these issues.”

Security Breakdown: Landguards, Armed Robbery, and Police Reluctance

The lack of proper roads has created a security vacuum. Residents report rising insecurity, with break-ins, armed robbery, and other crimes becoming rampant.

The nearest police post is located several miles away, and critically, the police have reportedly become unwilling to patrol or even respond to emergency calls in Anyaa Atlas Hills, specifically due to the deplorable state of the roads.

This leaves residents entirely vulnerable, creating a de facto ‘no-go’ zone for law enforcement after dark.

“How can we live in an area with authorities neglecting us completely?” questioned a protester, holding a placard that read: ‘Are We Not Citizens?’

Brazen Land Invasion: The Landguard Terror

Adding to the despair is the brazen takeover of community land by organised criminal elements, locally known as landguards.

Residents report that these armed groups are actively invading land, including spaces previously demarcated for essential community infrastructure like roads and reservations.

Mr. Wilson expressed disbelief at the depth of the lawlessness: “The most annoying part of it all is the issues with land guards. Roads that we move on, the roads that we are even complaining about that are bad – now, land guards are taking over the roads. And they are selling, virtually, the entire road. I don’t know when it became the duty of land guards to do demarcation. Now, land guards have taken over the whole community. They disregard everything. They come with sharp objects, guns, and things. Our children’s lives are at risk.”

Nana Kwame Obuobi, a spatial planner and surveyor in the area, detailed the association’s fruitless attempts to seek redress:

“We have issues with our roads, encroachment of our lands by land guards, and, I mean, security as well. That is a major challenge. And with the issue of the roads, we have had a series of engagements with the district assembly, the past MCE, the current MCE, the past MP, and the current MP. As an association, we have mobilised funds to support the assembly, to help us with the DRIP machines to shape our roads. And this, we have written several times to them, and they are not really supporting us. That’s why we felt that the whole issue should escalate and see how best the assembly will come to our aid.”

Yaw Ofosu, an electrician, added his voice to the plea: “When you are in town, it is difficult to get a vehicle to this area and vice versa. We need help so that our roads will be fixed. We came together to build a bridge when needed, but the authorities must intervene now to fix our issues.”

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.