Western Togoland: 10 more HSGF separatists arrested in Ghana’s Upper West Region

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Police in Ghana have arrested 10 more members of the separatist movement, Homeland Study Group Foundation.

The suspects were arrested Saturday at the Sissala East District town of Tumu in Ghana’s Upper West Region — about 623km from the national capital, Accra.

They have been named as one Michael Hofe, 49-year-old Ishmael Dziraku, 82-year-old Togbe Kugo II, Umjonganti Samuel, 54, and George Luhor Kalevor, 49.

The rest are Umar Abdul Samed, 53, Mohammed Karim, 44, Hodiba Innocent, 68, Kanu Emmanuel, 58 and Mawuli Maglo aged 34.

Local media reported that the suspects had arranged a meeting with the Traditional Authorities in the area as part of calls for the secession of the Volta Region through parts of the Upper Regions of Ghana.

Radford FM’s Mohammed Balu told DailymailGh.com that the suspects were detained at the Tumu Police Station at the time he visited Saturday night.

“So the information is that the suspects will be transported to the Upper West Regional Police Headquarters for further interrogation, reported Balu in a telephone interview.

Western Togoland territories included Tumu, Damongo, Zuarongo and other towns in the Upper Regions, reported Balu who said the secretary of the group Michael Hofe is quoted as saying.

Earlier in November, 10 members were arrested after the group declared parts of Ghana as independent ‘Western Togoland State’.

The leader of the group, 80-year old Charles Komi Kudzordzi, popularly known as Papavi Hobedetor, made the independence declaration at a public gathering in Ho on Saturday, November 16.

He cited the recent omission of roads in the Volta Region from the Critical Roads list in the 2020 budget, as evidence that they have been neglected by the government.

The government subsequently asked Ghanaians to disregard the declaration and promised to deal with the group.

The suspects had since been remanded in custody. Kudzordzi described the arrest as unfair.

Background

In May, about 81 members of the separatist group were arrested for assembling for a protest over the arrest of seven leaders of the Homeland Study Group Foundation.

Kudzodzi – popularly known as Papa Hogbedetor, had been arrested along with seven others when they first declared their intent to secede at one of the group’s regular study meetings.

The Attorney General in July 2019 eventually withdrew all charges brought against the members of Homeland Study Group Foundation who were working for the secession of the Volta Region from Ghana.

The group claims that the area was an independent State before being made to join Ghana in the 1956 plebiscite.

The Government of Ghana in a statement slammed the group’s supposed declaration of ‘Western Togoland’ as an independent State.

“The Government of Ghana takes note of the activities of a group known as the Homeland Study Foundation, purporting to declare secession from Ghana, a statement signed by Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah read.

“Ghana remains a sovereign state which has not ceded any part of its territory to any person or group of persons”, the statement further indicated.

By J. Ofori, Daily Mail GH