Elders of Adiekpornya family of Tey Clan in Battor Traditional Area in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region have broken their silence over the arrest and detention of three of their members in various cells of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) in Accra.

The three were arrested on suspicion that they were part of militants of Homeland Study Group Foundation (HSGF) and Western Togoland Restoration Front (WTRF).

According to the elders of Adiekpornya family, they strongly believed the arrest of the three persons–-Mr Wisdom Viku, Lawson Viku and Gabriel Viku—at Battor on October 27, 2020, was wrong in the eyes of the law.

They maintained that their members were unlawfully arrested.

Against this backdrop, the elders reiterated their call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to use his executive powers to impress upon the Chief Justice (CJ) and the Attorney General’s Department to grant bail to the three alleged secessionists who were currently languishing in various BNI cells.

It would be recalled that some secessionist groups were arrested in connection with the blocking of roads and burning of STC buses. These groups also launched an attack on Mepe and Aveyime Police Stations in the North Tongu District.

Members of the Volta ‘Rebels’ who were arrested were currently facing multiple charges of treason, felony, conspiracy, rioting with weapons, stealing, and participating in a meeting by the prohibited group among others.

The suspects are among a group of people who allegedly stormed the Aveyime and Mepe police stations, overpowered police officers and made away with weapons, ammunitions, a police patrol vehicle, and other personal effects.

However, in an exclusive interview with this reporter at Battor on Monday, March 29, 2021, the Principal Head of Adiekpornya family at Battor, Mr Evans Adiekpornya, pointed out that there was hard evidence to the effect that Mr Wisdom Viku, Lawson Viku and Gabriel Viku were arrested based on wrong information by some self-seeking elders of the area.

According to Mr Adiekpornya, who doubles as the Head of Tey Clan, these elders together with some chiefs reported Mr Wisdom Viku, Lawson Viku and Gabriel Viku to be arrested by a joint police and military teams on Monday, February 17, 2020, after the three had generally supported and helped the Principal Attorney of Adiekpornya family, Mr David Gabienu, to win a sand winning toll collection case.

However, the court asked the North Tongu District Assembly to be doing the collection of the sand tolls, adding that accounts should be rendered to the traditional authorities.

Mr Adiekpornya indicated that after the said ruling, his family members have since become targets of verbal and physical attacks by some people enemies.

"Our listening President, His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, being the head of the family with an age of 101 (one hundred and one), l want to state on the authority of our historical family records that the people of Adiekpornya family of Tey Clan are law-abiding citizens and that our ancestors or God will even strike us dead if we cover up crimes of our people.

…And l want, on behalf of the family, to say on record that Mr Wisdom Viku, Lawson Viku and Gabriel Viku were not among the group that said it was preparing to declare its own nation in the eastern Volta Region bordering Togo. So lam appealing to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to do the honourable thing by intervening in this matter to ensure the release of their members.

Mr Adiekpornya’s comments were earlier corroborated by the North Tongu District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Richard Collins Arku, who doubles as the Chairman of the District Security Council (DISEC), the Commander of Aveyime Divisional Police Command, and North Tongu District Bureau of National Investigations officer that many of the real culprits were at large.

The three state regulatory personalities who are in charge of human security in the area have vehemently registered their displeasure against the arrest of these personalities, a development which has amounted to the release of Mr David Gabianu, Mr Williams Tsikata and Mr Duho David who were arrested on Saturday, March 6, 2021.

According to the DCE, many of the real culprits of the so-called military wing of the Western Togoland Secessionist groups who committed the crime at Mepe, Battor, Ho, Aveyime and Juapong were on the run.

Meanwhile, in a meeting held on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, to authenticate the truth of the matter, the Paramount Chief of Battor Traditional Area, Togbega Patamia Dzekley VII, made it clear that neither he nor the Battor Traditional Council have a hand in the arrest of the three Adiekpornya family members.

Flanked by four elders of the Battor Paramount Royal Stool including Mr Peter Amekpleme, Dumegah H.K.A Gborglah among others, Togbega Patamia Dzekley VII denied flatly that he didn't show concern about the attacks and arrest of the citizens of Battor.

He indicated that when the suspects were arrested, although Adiekpornya family didn't officially inform him and his elders, he personally invited the DCE to his residence in Battor and verified from them why those persons were arrested by the police.

The chief stated that the DCE told him that he never had knowledge of the security personnel who came to effect the arrest.

At a recent traditional council meeting, according to Togbega Patamia Dzekley VII, the arrest on the three was the first issue to be discussed in addition to putting measures in place to continue protecting lives of the people in the area.

Togbega Patamia Dzekley,who doubles as the Vice President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, noted that he operates an open door policy and that he will continue to protect the lives of all citizens of Battor.