Four more secessionists charged, granted GH¢800K bail

Four more persons linked to the Western Togoland Restoration Front also known as Volta Secessionists have been arraigned and charged for being members of a prohibited organization.

This comes days after a set of six were jailed for 13 years and fined over GHc16k after they were found guilty.

The latest accused persons are – James Goka alias James Amevor, Moses Elo, Degbea Adrah Gago and Savior Adjorlolo all pleaded not guilty to six counts of offenses.

The six counts range from being members of a prohibited organization, making contributions for the benefit of a prohibited organization, participating in a campaign of a prohibited organization, conspiracy to robbery and robbery.

They have each been granted bail in the sum of GHc200k with two sureties (a resident in Accra and a public servant) earning not less than GHc2,000 and paid through the controller and accountant general.

The accused persons are also to report to the Police Intelligent unit at the CID Headquarters once a week and the Police are to take pictures of each of them portraying their front facial and both side views up to shoulder level.

The Court presided over by Justice Marie-Louise Simmons also ruled that copies of the photos are to be placed on the bail bond register of the police file and the court file and the same shall be published by the media should they jump bail.

The Court further ordered for the Ghana card or the voter’s identification cards of the accused to be deposited at the court registry and for their residence to be inspected before bail conditions are deemed satisfied.

The Court further ordered prosecution to file disclosures, including all witness statements on or before the next sitting.

Case is adjourned to November 22, 2023.

Brief facts

The brief facts of the case as presented by Joshua Sackey, a Senior State Attorney were that on or before September 25, 2020, the accused persons and other persons who are members of the Western Togoland

Restoration Front (WTRF), agreed to secede from the Republic of Ghana.

According to him, as a result, on September 24, 2020 at about 7:00pm, they assembled at Nyatikpo, near Juapong, where they grouped themselves into armed groups.

The Senior State Attorney told the Court that at 12 midnight on September 25, 2020, the second accused person, Moses Elo, conveyed the first and third accused persons, James Goka and Degbea Adrah Gago respectively from Nyatikpo to Aveyime and Mepe.

He said, when they got to Aveyime, the first accused went to the police station where he made a complaint of robbery.

He told the Court that, “when his details were being taken down, he pointed a knife at the police officer, General Constable Isaac Osei Nyarko and told him not to shout else he would be killed.

“The first accused person was then joined by the third accused person and others who were hiding in the bush around the police station,” Joshua Sackey told the Court.

He said, in all, three police officers who were on duty that night were held hostage and two inmates in the cells of the police station were freed whilst the three policemen were placed in the cells.

According to him, the first, third and fourth accused persons and others at large seized the mobile phones of the police officers.

The State Prosecutor said the group also broke into the armory of the police station and made away with arms and ammunition belonging to the Ghana Police Service.

“They also took possession of a police patrol vehicle with registration number GP195, which was driven by the fourth accused person, Savior Adjorlolo, through the principal streets of Aveyime and Mepe.

“They displayed the weapons they had taken from the armory and were shouting “Freedom! Freedom!! We are free,” Mr Sackey told the Court.

He said they later abandoned the vehicle at Mepe and fled to Nvatikpo on Moses Elo’s canoe.

“Investigations led to the arrest of these accused persons. Moses Elo was found to have made financial contributions towards the operations of the W T F.

“Four out of the ten AK47 assault rifles have been retrieved. After investigations, the accused persons have been brought before this Honorable Court for trial,” he told the court.