The High Court in Accra has acquitted and discharged Warrant Officer Class 1 Samuel Yao Fiagbedzi and one Richard Adri, alias Mumuni, of all charges linking them to the Western Togoland Restoration Front (WTRF) and the Homeland Study Group Foundation (HSGF).

Presiding judge Justice Marie-Louise Simmons ruled that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence of their alleged membership in the proscribed groups.

Fiagbedzi’s presence in a WhatsApp group was deemed inadequate to prove involvement, while Adri’s receipt of a T-shirt from the group’s founder lacked any follow-up actions indicating support.

Meanwhile, four others—Ernest Dzitor, Prosper Avumenyi, Benjamin Kplevi, and Isaac Kwasi Afeku—have been directed to open their defence.

The court found prima facie evidence suggesting their association with the separatist groups, based on admissions, paraphernalia found in their possession, and active participation in related activities.

According to the prosecution, the accused were linked to efforts aimed at forming a breakaway state out of Ghana’s Volta, Oti, and parts of the Eastern and Northern regions.

The groups allegedly recruited and trained youth through social media platforms and in-person meetings.

The case continues.