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Defence Minister-designate Dr. Edward Omane Boamah has retracted claims he made on social media alleging an illegal encroachment on Ghana International School (GIS) lands at Cantonments, Accra, by an unnamed businessman.
Speaking during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, January 28, Dr. Omane Boamah admitted that his accusations lacked evidence and acknowledged he should not have implicated the then New Patriotic Party (NPP) government in the alleged land grab.
“For the purposes of today’s vetting, if it is the case that the person was a bold Ghanaian investor who, without any authorization, decided to invade part of GIS’s lands, then I should not have linked the NPP to it,” he stated.
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Pressed by the minority leader in parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, for hard evidence, Dr. Omane Boamah conceded that he had no concrete proof at the time of his allegations. “The circumstantial evidence was strong ; however, if you want hard evidence, no,” he admitted.
Afenyo-Markin advised Dr. Boamah to have sought information under the Right to Information (RTI) Law before making public accusations.
However, the nominee admitted he had not read the RTI law, stating that it has its own limitations.
Dr. Omane Boamah, a former director of IT and elections for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), had previously described the alleged encroachers as “liberal land looters” and criticized their audacity and disregard for moral integrity. He denounced the act as “a despicable practice,” questioning, “Where is compassion ? What has happened to the moral compass ? “Where has good judgment been dumped ?”
He further criticized the broader issue of land misappropriation, highlighting how such practices force civil servants to travel long distances to work because state lands have been sold under the guise of policies.
Reflecting on his earlier statement that the encroachment occurred under le cover of night, Dr. Omane Boamah admitted that he was in “denial” upon hearing about it but ultimately conceded that he lacked the evidence to substantiate his allegations.
The Defence Minister-designate’s backtracking highlights the need for public officials to verify claims before making them, especially in sensitive matters involving government and private individuals.
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