ACCRA, Ghana – Six Ghanaians, including three soldiers, have been sentenced to death by hanging for their involvement in an alleged plot to overthrow the country’s government. The men were arrested in 2021 while testing weapons at an old shooting range in Accra, and intelligence telephone taps led to a blacksmith shop, where they ordered the weapons manufactured, according to court documents.
In response to the news, a visibly elated police chief Benjamin Agordzo, army officer Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, and one other junior military officer, Corporal Seidu Abubakar were acquitted, with Police chief Agordzo expressing gratitude towards God for the outcome.
The six convicted individuals, including a gunsmith and a civilian employee of the Ghana Armed Forces, were charged with conspiracy to commit treason in 2021. Attorney general Godfred Yeboah Dame, who led the prosecution, hailed the outcome of the trial, emphasizing that the constitution of Ghana frowns seriously upon any attempt to overthrow the government.
According to court documents, the men were arrested at their base in the capital Accra with locally-manufactured guns, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), AK-47 rifles and other ammunition. The accused were said to belong to an association called Take Action Ghana (TAG) and had planned to stage demonstrations, ostensibly to topple the government.
This is the first treason trial in Ghana since 1963 when the first president Dr Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown. The new ruling comes as the West African country, known for its stable democracy since 1992, faces heightened security while the wider region has seen a spate of coups in recent years.