Pastor, Traditional Leader and Surveyor Arraigned Over Alleged Land Fraud

A pastor, a traditional leader and a land surveyor have been arraigned before Circuit Court ‘3’ in Accra over allegations of conspiracy, trespass and fraudulent land transactions.

The accused persons — James Kumbaya Damalie, 60, a land surveyor; Peter Hammond, 58, a pastor and Nuumo Kankam, 65, a traditional leader pleaded not guilty to the charges when they appeared before the court presided over by Her Honour Susana Eduful.

Following their pleas, the court remanded James Kumbaya Damalie (A1) and Nuumo Kankam (A3) into police custody, while Peter Hammond (A2) was granted bail in the sum of GH¢300,000 with three sureties.

One of the sureties must be an immediate family member, while the remaining sureties are required to justify the bail with properties registered in their own names.

Brief Facts of the Case

According to the brief facts presented by the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Daniel Appiah-Ofori, the complainant, Madam Comfort Louisa Seiwah Antwi, a retired midwife and resident of Sowutuom, acquired 0.48 acres of land in 2019 from the Ghana Registered Nurses Association (GTACC) through an instalment arrangement during her years of service.

After acquiring the land, the complainant reportedly obtained all the necessary documentation, including a Land Title Certificate in her name.

She later began development by constructing foundation footings for shops and a main building shortly before the outbreak of COVID-19.

However, after the pandemic period, she revisited the site and allegedly discovered that the foundation footings had been damaged.

She reported the matter to the police, and investigations allegedly revealed that James Kumbaya Damalie was directly involved in the damage.

The prosecution said James (A1) later approached the complainant with an offer to purchase the land, which she declined.

Further investigations indicate that A1 allegedly trespassed onto the land again and began fresh development despite warnings. The complainant subsequently reported the matter to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command on April 18, 2025, leading to the arrest of all three accused persons.

In his caution statement, A1 is said to have admitted the offence, claiming he acted on the instructions of Nuumo Kankam (A3) to allocate the land to Peter Hammond (A2).

A2, however, denied the allegations, stating that he acquired the land through an indenture from a traditional leader whose identity he could not confirm. A3 also denied instructing anyone to allocate the land.

The prosecution further told the court that attempts at amicable settlement failed and that A1 and A2 did not cooperate fully with police investigations, leading to their summons before the court.