Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has warned chiefs and individuals against laying claim to lands belonging to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST, saying the property is vested in the Golden Stool and not open to private ownership.
Speaking at events marking KNUST’s 75th anniversary Wednesday (23 June), the Chancellor said the university’s lands were legally reserved for institutional use and that chiefs only act as caretakers.
“The land belongs to the Golden Stool. The chiefs are caretakers; no family owns the land. The lands are all vested in the stools,” he said.
Otumfuo cautioned anyone supporting legal challenges to KNUST’s ownership that they did so “at their own risk”.
He expressed concern over the rising number of court cases involving university lands, questioning why lawyers would pursue claims he described as clearly without merit.
“Anyone within the university or thereabouts who condones with people to take matters of land to court just because they can get a judgment over more than 1,000 acres of university land and go and sell it, I say no,” he stated.
The Asantehene alleged collusion both within and outside the university community to obtain court judgments over portions of KNUST land for personal gain.
He criticised legal practitioners who take up such cases, saying professionals should exercise due diligence before pursuing claims involving lands designated for educational institutions.
“There is collusion both within and outside. I wonder why some lawyers would want to do that when they are trained professionals and someone comes to them claiming ownership of university land, and they support that person to go to court,” he added.
KNUST, founded in 1952, is one of Ghana’s leading science and technology universities. Land disputes involving educational institutions have become a recurring issue in Ghana, with several universities reporting encroachment and litigation over campus property.
Credit:- citinewsroom
