The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Chancellor, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has warned chiefs, individuals, and other parties to stop asserting ownership of university lands.
Addressing KNUST’s 75th anniversary activities, the Asantehene emphasised that the university’s lands are vested in the stools and set aside solely for the school’s purposes, stressing that no person holds title to them.
He cautioned that anyone backing legal challenges to KNUST’s ownership does so at their own peril. Otumfuo also voiced worry about the rise in court battles over KNUST lands, questioning why some lawyers still accept such briefs despite what he called the property’s clear status.
“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. He claimed that certain people, both inside and outside the university, were conspiring to secure court rulings on parts of KNUST land for personal profit.
“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 further faulted legal practitioners who aid such claims, saying professionals must verify facts before litigating land meant for academic 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.
