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Tag: Western Togoland foundation group

  • 6 members of Western Togoland slapped with over 13yrs jail sentence

    6 members of Western Togoland slapped with over 13yrs jail sentence


    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.

  • Western Togoland: Separatist group members sentenced to 5 years imprisonment each

    Western Togoland: Separatist group members sentenced to 5 years imprisonment each

    Five years in jail with hard labor has been given to the five individuals found guilty in connection with the operations of the Western Togoland foundation group.

    The Western Togoland movement is a group of people who want separatists to declare independence from the Republic of Ghana on September 25, 2020. 

    The accused persons, Ebenezer Gblorkpor, Afetorgbor Kpogo, Joseph Nyamewu, Wisdom Kuvor, and Israel Bessah Kpexor, have been accused on four counts under SMCD 20, i.e., attending meetings of a prohibited organisation contrary to Section 2(1)(b) and making contributions to the funds of a prohibited organisation contrary to Section 2(1)(g).

    They were also charged with participating in the campaign of a prohibited organisation, contrary to Section 2(1)(d), and being a member of a prohibited organisation, contrary to Section 2(1)(i).

    Ebenezer and his associates were apprehended in 2020 as part of a group of Western Togoland Foundation members who attacked a police station at Aveyime, released prisoners, stole ammunition, blocked roads leading to the Volta Region, and shot a police officer. 

    The prosecution challenged the defence attorney’s request that the court reconsider its sentence on the grounds that the defendants are first-time offenders who are young and have been held for more than a year while awaiting trial. 

    However, the prosecution requested that the court impose harsher sentences to act as a deterrent to others.

    But the judge declined, noting that the convicts’ actions were premeditated and aggravated, hence the maximum sentence of five years should apply.

    The Western Togoland movement, which unsuccessfully tried to declare independence in November 2019 under the leadership of Papavi Hogbedetor, sought to have the Volta Region and some other parts of the country, which were referred to as Western Togoland.