Following an unannounced 3:30 a.m. demolition at La Pleasure Beach Resort on October 2, 2026, the La Traditional Council has accused National Security and SSNIT of failing to consult traditional landowners.
The traditional custodians of La lands broke their silence after heavy machinery moved onto the beachfront in the pre-dawn hours of Friday, October 2, 2026. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, October 7, 2026, the La Shikitele, Nii Adjei Koofeh IV, detailed how the traditional authorities learned of the operation only after it had already reduced beachfront structures to rubble. The council condemned the lack of formal communication, maintaining that no government agency or state institution engaged them before the machines arrived.
Chronology of Warnings Ignored Prior to the October 2 Demolition
Weeks before the midnight razing, community networks and local representatives caught wind of brewing plans to clear the shore. The council first received word on September 16 through its youth wing, the Coalition of La Associations, alongside managers of the beachfront resort. Those representatives reported conversations held with the Director of Special Operations at National Security, Richard Jakpa.
Seeking clarity, the council dispatched invitations to the board chairman and managing director of the Labadi Beach Hotel. The board chairman requested a two-week delay due to indisposition. Before that window closed, the local Member of Parliament, the Municipal Chief Executive, and regional political party executives visited the traditional leaders to reassure them that higher authorities knew nothing of an impending raid and would take active steps to block it.
Those assurances evaporated when heavy equipment rolled onto the sand at 3:30 a.m.
We didn’t hear anything and then Friday dawn, we heard they came around 3:30am. They started the demolition and then they carried through with what they said they were going to do without recourse to us. Nobody formally engaged the traditional council on it except the information that we had from the people who came before us.
Nii Adjei Koofeh IV, La Shikitele, via Classfmonline
SSNIT Land Claims and the 1967 Trade Fair Acquisition Dispute
During a high-level stakeholder gathering called by the government on Monday at the National Security Council Secretariat, state officials defended the operation. Chaired by the National Security Coordinator, the meeting brought together regional ministers, local government leaders, and the traditional council to explain why the beachfront was cleared. According to traditional leaders, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust justified the razing by asserting that its ownership of the adjacent state hotels extends the property boundary directly across the sand.
State administrators pointed to a colonial-era acquisition originating in 1967 for the development of the Trade Fair Site. SSNIT argued that upgrading the enclave was essential because the existing beachfront conditions failed to match the prestige of the five-star Labadi Beach Hotel and the four-star La Palm Royal Beach Hotel. Officials argued that neglected shorelines could damage the reputation and patronage of these state-owned assets, which were constructed using pensioners’ funds.
The La Traditional Council rejected that interpretation entirely. Leaders maintained that the original acquisition from the La Stool never included full compensation and insisted that the southern boundary of the Trade Fair acquisition does not swallow the entire beach area. National Security officials also defended the raid by citing human security concerns, telling the council that it is not every operation or exercise that people would need to be informed.
Apologies Issued and an Investigative Committee Formed
The secret operation triggered sharp pushback over public relations statements as well as property destruction. The council publicly challenged an issued SSNIT statement that claimed the agency would continue to engage traditional authorities, pointing out that true dialogue had never begun. Both SSNIT and National Security subsequently offered formal apologies for executing the midnight raid without consulting the landowners.
Stakeholders agreed to halt all immediate redevelopment plans while a dedicated committee is established to review the dispute. Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, the Member of Parliament for La-Dadekotopon, confirmed she will nominate a representative to sit on the committee to ensure local interests remain protected.
