Fresh charges for Volta Separatist Group

The Attorney General (AG) on Wednesday filed a motion in court to drop the charge of treason felony and conspiracy to commit same against leaders of a separatist group in the Volta Region – Homeland Study Group Foundation.
Addressing a circuit court in Ho, a senior state attorney, Simon Adatsi, told the court that the Attorney General had advised that the first degree (treason) felony charges be dropped and substituted with a lesser charge since their activities did not warrant the charges levelled against them.
Consequently, the presiding judge, Justice Charles Agbevor, discharged the accused persons namely, Charles Kormi Kudjordji, 78; Martin Asiamah Agbenu, 57; Divine Odonkor, 65 and four others who are still at large.
The AG also prayed the court to bond the accused persons to be of good behaviour, which was granted by Mr. Justice Charles Agbevor. The judge subsequently discharged the accused persons and bonded them for six months and cautioned them not to engage in any act that would violate the bond.
The senior state attorney, addressing the media after the court proceedings, explained that the discharge of the persons did not debar the security agencies from re-arresting and prosecuting them.
It will be recalled that three members of the Volta secessionist group, were arrested on March 7, 2017 after they had held an event in Ho to mark Ghana’s 60th independence anniversary.
At that event, the group made known its intention to declare the Volta Region and parts of Northern and Upper East Regions an independent state with the name, Western Togoland – a territory which existed prior to Ghana’s independence.
Some of the group members were also spotted wearing T-shirts with the inscription, ‘9th MAY IS OUR DAY’ at the top and ‘A CITIZEN OF WESTERN TOGOLAND’ at the base of the shirt.
Subsequently, the group’s founder, Charles Kormi Kudjordji, with two others – Martin Asiamah Agbenu, and Divine Odonkor – were arraigned before the Ho high court and charged together with four others (in absentia) for treason felony and conspiracy to commit same.
The three were later granted a GH¢50,000 bail each with two sureties to be justified.