4 secessionists jailed 17 years

 Four executive members of the Western Togoland Restoration Front (WTRF), have been sentenced to a total of 17 years imprisonment by the Accra High Court.

This was after the court presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekueh Nyanzuh found them guilty on various charges preferred against them.

The accused, including a policeman and soldier, were tried on charges of being members of a prohibited organisation, sum­moning meetings of prohibited organisation, attending meeting of prohibited organisation and making contributions for the benefit of prohibited organisa­tion.

Michael Koku Kwabla Amer­tornu Gohey, aka Togbe Yesu Edudzi, a founder of the WTRF was sentenced to five years im­prisonment.

The court also imposed a fine of GH¢12,000 on Gohey, and in default, he would serve one year imprisonment.

Three others Nene Kwaku Agblorm II, aka Joshua Tawiah Agblorm, WOI Emmanuel Afe­do, a soldier, and Lance Corporal Abednego Dzreke Mawena, a po­liceman, were sentenced to four years imprisonment each.

The court also imposed a fine of GH¢4,800 each on the three and in default they would serve three months jail terms each.

Mr Joshua Sackey, Senior State Attorney, prosecuting, said the soldier and policeman, had failed to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the state.

The court heard that members of the WTRF, on September 25, 2020, blocked the road at Juapong and Sogakope, and set fire to two STC vehicles.

Mr Sackey said they also attacked the Aveyime and Mepe police stations, freed inmates in the cells, locked up the policemen on duty in cells, took arms and ammunitions from the armory of the police stations and bolted.

According to prosecution, the WTRF is a splinter organisation­of the Homeland Study Group Foundation (HSGF), whose main objective is to secede from the Republic of Ghana and form a new sovereign state.

Mr Sackey said the group pro­posed the new state to cover the entire Oti and Volta Regions and parts of the Eastern and North­ern Regions of the Republic of Ghana.

The court heard that investi­gations showed that the WTRF was formed after Papavi Hogbedetor, the founder and leader of the HSGF, a prohibited organisation, went into hiding after his arrest and release.

Mr Sackey said first accused, Gohey, who was deputy to Papavi Hogbedetor, founded the WTRF, to continue from where Papavi­Hogbedetor left.

The other accused are mem­bers of the National Executive Council of the WTRF, according to prosecution.

Mr Sackey said the first ac­cused, as the leader of the group, summoned meetings of the Na­tional Executive Council of the WTRF, at which discussions were made as to how to secede from the Republic of Ghana.

The prosecution said at one of the National Executive Coun­cil meetings, a proposed list of the cabinet of the envisaged state was discussed.

Mr Sackey said, according to WTRF, the first accused was to become the Prime Minister of the envisaged state, WO1 Afedo, was put in charge of educating and recruiting new members of the WTRF from the Northern parts of the Republic of Ghana.

The court heard that the WTRF at other meetings, the accused held discussions on how the civil service staff of the envisaged state was to be paid. —GNA

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