An Accra High Court has remanded into Police custody seven leaders of the Homeland Study Group Foundation who have been accused of attempting to declare parts of the country including the Volta Region as an independent state.
The seven, together with their 80-year-old leader, Charles Kormi Kudzodzi – popularly known as Papa Hogbedetor were in court on Wednesday facing charges of conspiracy to commit treason, felony of treason, unlawful assembly and abetment of unlawful training as well as offensive conduct to breach of peace.
They were arrested on Sunday and flown to Accra by the National Security during one of their meetings to discuss “the struggle towards independence.”
According to the police, the group had created a constitution and an anthem for the supposed independence on May 9, 2019.
The police also claimed that the group leaders were training some youth in “militia-style” to form the core of police and military activities in the supposed new country, the Western Togoland after the declaration of independence.
At the court hearing on Wednesday, the lead counsel for the state, senior Attorney, Winifred Sarpong made a case for the accused to be remanded based on the severity of the case.
Justice Jerome Noble Nkrumah who presided over the case granted the request of the state prosecutor but exempted its 80-year-old leader, Charles Kudzodze.
Mr. Kudzodze was granted bail at the cost of GH¢ 250,000 with two sureties.
All eight suspects are expected to reappear in court on Wednesday, May 22, 2019.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service has announced that it has in its custody 81 suspects who were part of the group.
A statement signed by Mr. Prince Dogbatse, Public Relations Officer of the Volta Regional Police Command, said the 81 persons, including women, were being screened for further investigations.
The police’s statement noted that 17 of the arrested individuals, were picked up in the house of the leader of the group, Charles Kormi Kudzordi who lives close to the 66 artillery regiment barracks.
54 of the people were also arrested aboard a bus entering Ho and the remaining 10 arrested at other entry points in and around the Ho municipality.
