Six additional individuals associated with the Western Togoland Foundation have received varying prison sentences totaling thirteen years and six months, along with a collective fine of 1300 penalty units equivalent to GH¢15,600.
These six individuals were allegedly involved in road blockades in Sogakope and attacks on police stations in Aveyime and Mepe on September 25, 2020, as part of a secessionist movement aimed at detaching parts of the Volta, Oti, and Northern regions from Ghana.
Initially, ten accused persons were on trial, all pleading not guilty to charges of attending a meeting and being members of a prohibited organization.
Following the trial, four of the accused were acquitted and discharged, while the remaining six were convicted.
The convictions were made under the Prohibited Organisations Act of 1976 (SMCD 20), which allows for a maximum prison sentence of five years or a maximum fine of 1000 penalty units, or both, for those found guilty under the Act.
Prior to sentencing, the lawyers of the six convicts appealed to the court for leniency, requesting that fines be imposed as punishment instead of custodial sentences.
For the third accused person, Godfred Gabriel Govina, his lawyer asked the court to consider a fine, emphasizing that he was a first-time offender and the breadwinner of his family. The lawyer pointed out that the convict is a husband to two wives with nine children, and any further imprisonment would significantly affect the family.
However, Justice Mary Yanzuh sentenced the third accused to three years in prison and ordered a fine of 300 penalty units, taking into account Gabriel Govina’s status as a retired teacher and stating that he should have known better given his status.
The fourth accused, Benjamin Gbadago, was sentenced to 24 months in prison and a fine of 200 penalty units for being a member of the prohibited Western Togoland Restoration Front and Homeland Study Foundation. His lawyers had pleaded for a non-custodial sentence, citing his poor health.
Cephas Zoddanu, the seventh accused person convicted of four counts related to a prohibited organisation, received a three-year prison sentence and a fine of 200 penalty units.
Lawyers for the eighth accused, Richard Doglo Ametepe, appealed for a fine rather than a custodial sentence, considering that he had collapsed in court upon receiving the conviction. They also noted that he had spent approximately three years in jail, and the maximum sentence for the offence was five years.
However, Justice Mary Yanzuh imposed a custodial sentence of three years and a fine of 200 penalty units.
The ninth accused person, known in private life as Cosmos Havor but holding the position of chief in the traditional area of Afife under the stool name Togbe Aszaklo, was convicted for attending meetings and participating in the campaign of a prohibited organisation, where the place was declared an independent state on September 1, 2020.
Despite acknowledging the seriousness of the chief’s actions due to his status, the court imposed a relatively lenient term of 24 months in prison and a fine of 400 penalty units due to the age and health of the convict.
The tenth convict, Vincent Ramsayer Atsu-Galey, received a six-month prison sentence.