Ghana court sentences six individuals including soldiers to death for coup plan

In a landmark ruling, six Ghanaians, among them three soldiers, have been sentenced to death by hanging for their alleged involvement in a coup plot that unfolded three years ago. This marks the first treason trial in Ghana since 1966, when the nation’s post-independence leader, Kwame Nkrumah, was ousted. The arrest of the group occurred in 2021 while they were reportedly testing weapons in the capital, Accra, with the purported aim of overthrowing the government. The accused, which included a gunsmith, entered pleas of not guilty during a trial that gripped the attention of the entire nation. Despite the defense signaling their intention to appeal the ruling in the Supreme Court, the High Court in Accra handed down the death sentences on Wednesday. Notably, three other individuals, including a senior police officer and two military officers, were acquitted. The court, citing compelling evidence such as intercepted communications and testimonies, found the six guilty of high treason and conspiracy to commit high treason. The men were apprehended with locally manufactured guns, improvised explosive devices, and AK-47 rifles, according to court documents. State prosecutors revealed that the group had allegedly planned to orchestrate protests, ostensibly aimed at toppling President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government in the lead-up to the 2020 general elections. Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, leading the prosecution, lauded the court’s decision as “significant.” He emphasized that the constitution of Ghana staunchly opposes any attempt to overthrow a government, justifying the severity of the treason charge. This historic ruling comes at a time when Ghana, having last executed a death penalty in 1992, recently saw lawmakers voting to abolish capital punishment for ordinary crimes, replacing it with a life sentence.