Volta secessionists declared wanted, police to place them on Interpol red alert

Charles Komi Kudzordzi [with walking stick] declared Western Togoland independent on Nov 16

ACCRA, Nov 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Police are on a manhunt for the leader of a separatist group that declared independence for Western Togoland last Saturday, sources at the Ghana police CID headquarters said.

The source said “we are looking for” the over 80-year-old Charles Komi Kudzordzi who led the Homeland Study Group Foundation (HSGF) to declare ‘Western Togoland’ [Volta Region, parts of Northern, North East and Upper East regions] independent at Ho in the Volta Region.

He was reportedly whisked away in a waiting car immediately after declaring the independence which was greeted with loud cheers and applause from the people who gathered at the former premises of Unity Rural Bank.

Kudzordzi, also known as Papavi Hogbedetor, is believed to have fled to Togo to escape arrest for his action, which critics say constitute treason felony.

The CID is working on the processes to place him and other leaders of the HSGF group on Interpol red alert watchlist.

The Octogenarian was earlier in May this year arrested together with 80 other members of the group when they were allegedly planning to declare independence for Western Togoland.

Nine of them were later charged with conspiracy to commit treason felony, abetment of unlawful training, unlawful assembly and offensive conduct conducive to the breach of peace and put before court.

The Attorney General, however, in July discontinued the case based on which the High Court trying them discharged the accused persons.

It was the case of the prosecution that the group calling planned to secede the Volta Region from Ghana and declare it as an independent country called Western Togoland.

They claimed that the Volta Region (Western Togoland) was formerly an independent state before being made to join Ghana in a plebiscite.

They were arrested while holding a meeting to finalise arrangements to declare the Volta Region an independent state on May 9, 20I9.

According to the prosecution, when the police intercepted their meeting, they found T-shirts with the inscriptions: “9th May is our day” and “A Citizen of Western Togoland”.

It said the police also found messages that revealed that Sgt Kwabla, a soldier, had given the group advance messages to hide their weapons due to a pending search by a combined team of the police and the military. — NNN-AGENCIES