Omanghana
A demolition exercise at La Pleasure Beach in Accra on Friday, October 2, 2026, prompted a confrontation between security personnel and La Dadekotopon MP Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, who questioned the operation and its impact on local businesses.
Personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces’ 48 Engineer Regiment, supported by police, reportedly arrived around 4 a.m. and ordered occupants to leave. Workers and traders attempted to retrieve their belongings as structures were pulled down.
Ms Sowah said she had previously approached the relevant authorities and received assurances that structures around the Labadi Beach Hotel would be spared. She maintained that neither she nor her team had been adequately informed about the demolition.
The MP also alleged that some military personnel fired shots and pointed weapons at people at the scene. The reports reviewed did not independently establish those allegations.
“What is it, do you want to kill us, what has La done?” she asked.
Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Stan Dogbe, subsequently clarified that the demolition was supervised by National Security at the request of Labadi Beach Hotel, following concerns about structures and commercial activities along its beachfront.
He said the exercise was separate from the government’s flood mitigation operations.
Accounts differed over advance notice. A shareholder at the facility, Prosper Adotey, acknowledged a warning two weeks earlier, while operator Beatrice Aku Tawiah said sellers had not been informed.
Ms Tawiah, whose company employed more than 70 workers, claimed she had lost property worth over GH¢1 million. She said the destruction had left her uncertain about repaying loans invested in the business, as other affected operators struggled to salvage their belongings.
Source: Omanghana
