Six additional defendants on trial in connection with a violent demonstration in the Volta Region calling for the region's separation from the rest of Ghana have been sentenced to a total of 26 years of forced labor.
The six, who were members of the outlawed 'Western Togoland Restoration Front' and descendants of Papavi's Trans Volta Togoland Group, were convicted on May 20, 2023 by an Accra High Court presided over by Justice Mary Yanzuh, which found them guilty of the 19 charges brought against them.
This brings the total number of individuals incarcerated for their involvement in the violent acts to eleven.
These acts include the burning of two STC buses in Ho and a raid on the Aveyime and Mepe police stations in which firearms, a police patrol vehicle, and other items were seized.
Raymond Yao Blu alias Captain, Kennedy Awunyo, Kwame Tornyevidzi alias Abizibey, Edem Nukornu alias FBI Commander, Jerry Kpeglo, and Sylvanus Sheshie were each sentenced to four years in prison with hard labor for attending meetings of a banned organization, participating in a campaign of a banned organization, and being members of a banned organization.Raymond Yao, Edem Nukornu, and Sylvanus Seshie were also sentenced to four years in prison for making contributions to a banned organization, while Kennedy Awunyo was sentenced to four years in prison for accepting contributions from a banned organization.
Kwame Tornyevidzi alias Abizibey was sentenced to six years for seizing an AK-47 rifle from the Aveyime police station, while Raymond Yao was sentenced to an additional two years for illegal training.
All of the convicted will serve four years in prison concurrently, with the exception of Kwame Tornyevidzi, who will serve six years of hard labor.In delivering down the sentences, Justice Yanzuh stated that the circumstances of the case and the evidence presented by the prosecution require that the sentence serve as a deterrent to others who harbor similar intentions.
The inmates were charged with 19 counts, including six counts of attending meetings of a prohibited organization, one count of participating in a campaign for a prohibited organization, three counts of making contributions for the benefit of a prohibited organization, one count of accepting contributions for the benefit of a prohibited organization, six counts of being a member of a prohibited organization, theft, and unlawful training.
Defending Facts According to court documents, the prosecution's facts indicated that National Security Council officers conducted an exercise to identify and arrest members of the Western Togoland Restoration Front (WTRF) who blocked the road at Juapong and Sogakope and set fire to two STC vehicles on September 25, 2020.
On the same day, the group reportedly attacked the Aveyime and Mepe police stations, respectively, freed the prisoners in the cells, confined the on-duty police officers in the cells, stole weapons and ammunition from the police stations' armories, and then fled.Investigations led to the arrest of the accused, who confessed to being members of the Western Togoland Restoration Front.
According to the prosecution, they also admitted playing active roles in the organization's organization and activities, such as attending meetings, contributing funds, and receiving funds for the organization's operation.
The prosecution stated that when the room of the first defendant, Kennedy Awunyo, was searched, numerous Western Togoland flags and decals were discovered.The first defendant also received and disbursed Western Togoland Restoration Front funds to guarantee the organization's plans were carried out.
During the investigation on September 25, 2020, the second suspect, Kwame Tornyevidzi alias Abizibey, was discovered to have stolen an AK47 rifle from the Aveyime Police Station.
According to the facts, the third defendant, Raymond Yao Blu alias Captain, acknowledged participating in Western Togo's gorilla military training, for which he received a certificate.
It also stated that a Western Togoland membership card and an army gorilla training certificate bearing his name and photograph were discovered during a search of the third accused person's room.
Again, it was determined that the third, fourth, and sixth accused individuals had contributed funds to the Western Togoland Restoration Front.
The activities of the accused and others would have disrupted the presidential and parliamentary elections on December 7, 2020 in the Volta and Oti regions had it not been for the vigilance of the security agencies.