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Soldier charged in connection with secessionist plan


Staff Sergeant Samuel Kpogli, a soldier attached to the 66 Artillery Regiment in Ho, in the Volta Region has appeared before the Accra High Court and charged with conspiracy to commit treason felony, abetment of unlawful training, unlawful assembly and offensive conduct.

The military man is the latest to be arrested in connection with alleged attempts by members of Homeland Study Group to declare Volta Region, as an independent state.

This brings to nine the total number of persons arrested for committing the alleged offense.

Following this development, eight other accused, earlier put before the same court on May 8, 2019, were discharged, re-arrested and fresh charges preferred against them.

 Mr Charles K. Kudzordzi, the leader of the Group was on May 8, granted GH¢250,000 bail with two sureties by the court.

A three-member panel of judges presided over by Justice Jerome Noble Nkrumah ordered the 85 year-old retired educationist, to report to the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service twice every week on Monday and Thursday.

The seven alleged accomplices were remanded into police custody to appear again on June 6, 2019. 

They are Benjamin Agbodzagah, 48; Nipple Tonye Kudzo, 61 and Agbenyagah Akudzi, 54.

The rest are Thompson Taught, 58; Kofi Dzreke, 54; Freeman Bilaku, 36 and Bisa Akorli, 46.

The accused whose plea is yet to be taken has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Mrs Winfred Sarpong, a senior state attorney, prosecuting, told the court that the offences for which the accused were charged with are first degree felony and that the indictment trial should be conducted by a magistrate court where the accused were arrested.

However, she said the magistrate court in Accra lacked the jurisdiction to conduct the committal proceedings as the accused were arrested in Ho in the Volta Region.

She urged the court not to grant the accused bail arguing that investigations were ongoing and the fact that accused are not first time offenders.

The Ghanaian Times  reported in its May 7 edition that eight members of the Homeland Study Group arrested for agitating for an autonomous state for the Volta Region by the security agencies in Ho, were airlifted to Accra.

BY MALIK SULLEMANA

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