Asantehene rebukes lawyers over fresh challenges to KNUST land ownership
Addressing the university’s 59th Congregation, the Asantehene—who serves as Chancellor of KNUST—said some lawyers were helping to legitimise what he described as “baseless and opportunistic” claims by people posing as family heads
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has sharply criticised private legal practitioners who continue to represent individuals filing lawsuits over lands belonging to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Addressing the university’s 59th Congregation, the Asantehene—who serves as Chancellor of KNUST—said some lawyers were helping to legitimise what he described as “baseless and opportunistic” claims by people posing as family heads in order to assert ownership of university property.
The Asantehene recalled issuing a stern warning five years earlier against any attempts to encroach on KNUST lands. Despite that caution, he said reports reaching him suggest continued attempts to seize portions of the institution’s property.
“Some recalcitrant people continue to test our resolve,” he told the congregation, adding that certain lawyers knowingly advance claims they are fully aware have no legal merit.
“It is regrettable that lawyers, who by their training should know better, take these matters to court to defend claims they know are wrong,” he said.
Otumfuo emphasised that KNUST lands remain institutional assets held for the university’s long-term development, not ancestral property available for private claims. He warned that further incursions would be met with firm action.
The matter of land encroachment has long plagued Ghana’s public universities, particularly as rising enrolment drives demand for more lecture halls, laboratories and accommodation. KNUST has been among the hardest hit, with several parcels of land gradually taken over by private developers over the years.
The Asantehene’s remarks signal renewed resolve from traditional authorities and the university leadership to protect KNUST’s landholding. His comments also place the legal profession under scrutiny, suggesting that lawyers who pursue such cases may be undermining both the university’s mandate and public trust in the justice system.
