Inusah Abdulai Bistav Fuseini, a former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, has said “Ghanaians have no appetite for a coup d’etat” and that the accusations that people wanted to oust the Akufo-Addo government was a charade.
According to him, the arrest and trial of the persons accused of harboring intentions to destabilise the country, with the accused facing accusations of conspiracy to commit high treason, abetment to high treason, and high treason was just to instill fear in people who oppose the current administration.
Speaking on the KeyPoints on TV3 Saturday, January 27, 2024, Inusah Fuseini indicated that the prosecution was “an instrument adopted by the Akufo-Addo government to put fear in those who are opposed to his government or style of government. So, it’s an instrument of fear. It’s a cheap instrument. Instruments of fear are cheap instruments just to instill fear in the people.”
His comments stem from the five-year trial of ACP Benjamin Agordzo who was acquitted with two others after being accused of planning a coup d’etat.
The judgment, handed down by the three-member panel of judges on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, marked a significant turn in the legal proceedings surrounding the alleged plot to oust a government.
The two other persons who were accused alongside ACP Agordzo, were Colonel Gameli, and another junior military officer, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, who were both acquitted.
The late Dr. Frederick Yao Mac Palm, the alleged mastermind of the entire plot, was posthumously declared the first accused. The second accused, Donya Kafui, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit high treason and high treason. Similarly, the third accused, Bright Allan Debrah Ofosu, faced convictions on charges of conspiracy to commit high treason and high treason.
Warrant Officer Class Two Esther Saan Dekuwine, the sole female among the accused, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit high treason but not guilty of high treason. On the other hand, Cpl Seidu Abubakar, the seventh accused, was acquitted of both conspiracy to commit high treason and high treason. Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, the eighth accused, received a mixed verdict, being found guilty of conspiracy but not guilty of high treason.
Creation of OSP a waste of public resources – Inusah Fuseini
Coup plot
The charges stem from an alleged plot to destabilise the country, with the accused facing accusations of conspiracy to commit high treason, abetment to high treason, and high treason. The trial, which commenced on June 8, 2021, caught the nation’s attention due to its high-profile nature.
Supporters of the accused gathered in the courtroom, expressing relief and jubilation at the acquittal of ACP Dr Benjamin Kwasi Agordzo. The trial had been ongoing since April 2021, with the judgment date set on November 22, 2023, following extensive legal arguments and the presentation of witnesses.
The prosecution team, led by Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, presented a formidable case, including testimony from seven soldiers. In contrast, the defence, comprising lawyers such as Rita Akukunti Ali, Victor Kodjogah Adawudu, and others, vigorously defended their clients throughout the proceedings.
The fallout from this trial is expected to resonate across the legal and political landscape, raising questions about the nature of the charges and the complexities surrounding the alleged coup plot. As the nation absorbs the verdict, the implications of this high-profile case are likely to reverberate for some time to come.
