The Ho Magistrate Court ‘One’ on Wednesday, remanded five members of the separatist Homeland Study Group Foundation (HSGF) into prison custody, when they were arraigned for treason felony.
They are Godsfriend Peter Edem, 48, MkpeTornyi Kudjo, 61, Kofi Agbeko, 32, Agbenyega Akudzi, 54, and Ibrahim Tofa, 60.
The court presided the by Mr Robert Addo was told that the leader of the group Charles Kudzordzi, 85, who is the first accused, and two other organisers of the group, ‘Gbeku’ and George Nyakpo, were on the run.
Chief Superintendent of Police Ayamga Yakubu Akolgo, prosecuting, told the court that at about 11am on November 16, 2019, accused, who were all members of HSGF, organised a public event at Ho-Moleme, which attracted a gathering of about 100 people.
The prosecution said Kudzordzi declared independence for the Volta and Oti regions at the event, saying they would not be part of Ghana any longer, as from midnight.
Chief Supt Akolgo said Edem, a pastor, and the second accused, played the role of master of ceremony, at the independence declaration durbar, which Kudjo, Agbeko, Gbeku and Nyakpo helped to organise.
The court heard that soon after Kudzordzi pronounced ‘The Republic of Western Togoland’, a video footage of the ecstatic crowd, went viral on social media, after which the police arrested the accused.
According to Chief Supt Akolgo, Kudjo in his statement to the police insisted that he was a ‘Western Togolander’, and had never been a Ghanaian citizen.
The court further heard that Akudzi was the treasurer of the group, responsible for collecting dues from its members while Tofa offered prayers at HSGF gatherings.
Chief Supt Akolgo revealed that the accused had been under police surveillance radar since 2017, and were found to have held several clandestine meetings in the house of Kudzordzi and the church premises of Edem.
The prosecution said that the matter was under investigations, and that the docket would later be presented to the Attorney General’s Department for advice.
The court issued bench warrants for the arrest of Kudzordzi, Gbeku and Akudzi.
Hearing continues on December 4.
FROM ALBERTO MARIO NORETTI, HO
