Adikyere who was handcuffed to Hedzro attempted to attack journalists for photographing him
The High Court in Ho has sentenced Richard Adikyere, a mason, to life imprisonment for the murder of Mawutor Adzahli, the Assemblyman for Sogakope South Electoral Area, on March 1, 2020.
The court, presided over by Justice Daniel Ekow Mensah, also sentenced Adikyere and his two accomplices, Emmanuel Hedzro and Stephen Adzibolo, to 47 years each for robbery, with Adikyere’s sentences to run concurrently.
Adikyere, the ringleader, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, robbery, and possession of firearms without lawful authority, while Hedzro and Adzibolo, both unemployed, pleaded not guilty to robbery. However, the court found all three guilty based on overwhelming evidence presented by the prosecution, led by Senior State Attorney Andrews Dodzi Adugu.
The court heard that in 2020, Hedzro informed Adikyere about a wealthy merchant in Sogakope, later identified as Adzahli, and instructed him to recruit a gang for a robbery. On March 1, 2020, at approximately 1:30 a.m., Adikyere, Adzibolo, Obed Ayornu, and Michael Sam broke into Adzahli’s residence using cement blocks.
Armed with a pump action gun and two pistols—stolen by Adikyere in a prior robbery—Adikyere shot Adzahli three times, killing him instantly.
The gang fled with a large sum of money. A post-mortem examination at Sogakope District Hospital confirmed the cause of death as head and chest injuries from close-range gunshots.
Four other accomplices—Obed Ayornu, Michael Sam, Samuel Kofi Zotorvi, and his twin brother, Christian Zotorvi—entered plea deals and pleaded guilty, each receiving 15 years’ imprisonment at an earlier hearing.
Police arrested the suspects at various locations, including Ashaiman, with Hedzro having used his share of the loot to purchase a motorbike worth GH¢4,800.
During interrogation, Adikyere confessed to shooting Adzahli with the stolen pump action gun.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Mensah described the crime as “heinous and callous,” emphasizing the loss of a productive citizen and the strength of the prosecution’s evidence.
As the convicts were escorted out, Adikyere, handcuffed to Hedzro, attempted to attack journalists photographing them.
The murder sparked widespread outrage in Sogakope, with residents protesting the police’s delayed response and suspecting a contract killing, though a suspect, Amos Abakla, claimed in 2020 that Adzahli was killed for resisting the robbery.
The case drew significant national attention, with former President Jerry John Rawlings and the Volta Regional Minister offering bounties of GH¢25,000 and GH¢10,000, respectively, for information leading to the culprits’ arrest.
GA/KA