Ghana : Death Penalty For Coup Attempters
According to the Attorney General of Ghana, six individuals were sentenced to death on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, in Accra, for an attempted coup, as reported by wakasera.com. The incident dates back to the year 2021.
At that time, nine men in possession of combat weapons were arrested in connection with an attempted coup in Ghana. Six of them were ultimately sentenced on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, in Accra, to the death penalty for their involvement in an alleged plot to overthrow the government of the country three years ago.
The court decision is expected to be formalized by hanging. The other three, including a former police official, Benjamin Agordzo, were acquitted. According to the Attorney General of Ghana, Godfred Yeboah Dane, Ghana’s constitution ensures the stability of the nation and severely punishes any attempt to overthrow a government, which is why the offense of treason is punishable by death.
According to court documents, the convicted individuals were arrested at an old shooting range in the Ghanaian capital. These men were in possession of locally made weapons, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), AK-47 rifles, and ammunition.
Additionally, Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame explained that the accused belonged to an association called Take Action Ghana (TAG) and had planned to organize demonstrations to overthrow the central government.
The first treason trial in Ghana dates back to 1963 when the first president of the former Gold Coast, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, was overthrown by a military junta. It’s worth noting that the last execution of a death row convict in Ghana was in 1992 because since then, this West African Anglophone country has adhered to a constitutional regime.
