State Housing Company Limited (SHC) has issued a final warning to individuals and organisations occupying its lands and properties without valid authorisation, declaring that the October 15, 2026 deadline for regularising their occupation will not be extended.
The company says occupants who fail to comply with the ultimatum risk legal action as it prepares to undertake a nationwide land audit and asset recovery exercise to reclaim properties belonging to the State.
Addressing a press conference at the company’s headquarters on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, the Deputy Managing Director of SHC, Samuel Atukwei Quaye, Esq., said the exercise had become necessary following years of unauthorised occupation, encroachment and other irregular dealings involving the company’s assets.
He disclosed that some individuals had occupied SHC properties without permission, while others continued to hold properties under expired leases without renewing their agreements.
According to him, the company had also identified instances where individuals developed SHC lands without approval or sold, sublet and transferred properties without the requisite authority.
Mr Quaye explained that the company had made repeated attempts to resolve the situation amicably by inviting affected persons to regularise their occupation.
As part of those efforts, SHC introduced a 15% discount in 2025 for clients with outstanding debts and arrears to encourage them to settle their obligations.
Despite the concession, he said, many occupants failed to take advantage of the opportunity.
The company subsequently issued a final warning on February 16, 2026, directing encroachers and unauthorised occupants to regularise their occupation or vacate the properties.
Following what SHC described as continued non-compliance, a final notice was published in national newspapers and other media outlets on September 24, 2026, granting affected persons a 21-day ultimatum.
The deadline expires on Thursday, October 15, 2026.
“We have been patient. But patience cannot be unlimited when the public interest is being eroded each day,” Mr Quaye declared.
He stressed that the recovery exercise would be conducted in accordance with the law and would not be used to intimidate or arbitrarily displace occupants.
According to him, individuals with legitimate interests in SHC properties would be allowed to present their documents for verification, while those with outstanding financial obligations could still take steps to settle them.
“For those who occupy our lands lawfully, or who are willing to regularize, the process is open and there is a path forward,” he said.
However, he warned that the company would pursue available legal remedies against individuals who had no valid interest in the properties and continued to disregard the notice.
“But for those who have no valid interest and choose to ignore this final notice, let it be understood that the company will take the lawful steps available to it. We will act within the law. We will act without fear or favour. And no one, however placed, is above this exercise,” he stated.
Mr Quaye maintained that the exercise was intended to protect public assets and ensure that properties entrusted to SHC were used for their intended purposes.
He urged affected occupants to approach the company before the expiration of the deadline to have their claims examined and outstanding issues resolved.
