Six members of the Western Togoland Restoration Front, a group seeking to secede from Ghana, have been convicted by the High Court in Accra on charges of belonging to and supporting a prohibited organization.
The court presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, deferred their sentencing to November 1, 2023.
The six convicts are Gabriel Gorvinoa, Cephas Zodanu, Benjamin Gbadado, Richard Doglo Ametepe, Cosmos Favor, and Vincent Ramsayer Atsu Galey.
They were part of a group of 10 who were arrested in 2021 after attending meetings and accepting contributions from the secessionist group.
The other four – John Gbedemah, Godwin Awudza, Excel Liberty Aheto, and Devine Nyadzinyo – were acquitted and discharged after the trial.
The prosecution proved the case against the six convicts with evidence of their involvement in the activities of the Western Togoland Restoration Front, which has been declared illegal by the government.
The group has been accused of staging violent attacks and protests in parts of the Volta Region, claiming it as their ancestral land.
One of the convicts, Gabriel Gorvinoa, told reporters after the verdict that he was innocent and that he was fighting for his rights.
“We are not criminals, we are patriots. We want justice and freedom for our people. We will not give up our struggle,” he said.
The defense lawyer for the six convicts, Kwame Akuffo, said he was disappointed with the outcome and would appeal the conviction.
He argued that his clients exercised their constitutional right to self-determination and did not commit any offense.
“This is a political case, not a legal one. The government is using the courts to suppress dissent and intimidate our clients. We will challenge this verdict at the Court of Appeal,” he said.