The High Court in Accra has acquitted Gregory Afoko, who had been accused of the murder of Adams Mahama, the former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The court’s decision follows an 11-year-long trial.
In addition to Afoko's acquittal, the court also discharged Asabke Alangdi, the second accused, who had previously been convicted in an earlier trial.
Justice Marie-Louise Simmons, who presided over the case, explained that the decision to discharge the accused was due to significant delays in the trial. The case had been repeatedly adjourned, with months-long periods of inactivity attributed to the prosecution's failure to move the case forward.
This third trial came after a second trial ended in a hung jury. The trial, which began in 2024, was based on a Bill of Indictment filed in March 2019. The pleas of Afoko and Asabke were heard on January 18, 2024, and a new jury was empanelled. However, between April 12 and November 24, 2024, the prosecution presented only five of its sixteen listed witnesses, and the trial stalled thereafter.
Justice Simmons noted that the case had faced six adjournments at the prosecution’s request. Despite the state’s assertions that a decision was forthcoming, no substantial progress was made, and jurors continued to report to court without any action being taken. On December 1, 2025, the trial faced yet another adjournment, with no prosecutor present to explain the delays. Only five of the seven jurors attended.
Given the persistent delays and lack of action, Justice Simmons stated that she had no choice but to discharge the accused and dissolve the jury. She also expressed her gratitude to the jurors for their service.
Earlier in 2025, Afoko had been granted bail after spending nearly a decade on remand. On February 21, 2025, the court granted him GH₵500,000 bail with two sureties, a decision that the prosecution did not oppose. Afoko’s previous trial had ended in April 2023 with a 4-3 hung jury verdict in his favor.
Afoko and Asabke had been accused of pouring acid on Adams Mahama on May 20, 2015, leading to his death. Afoko is the brother of former NPP National Chairman Paul Afoko, who was suspended from the party in 2015.
### Case Background
The prosecution's case centered around tensions within the NPP that began in May 2015, when Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong, the party's then-National Chairman and General Secretary, traveled to Bolgatanga for a meeting. Adams Mahama, the deceased, allegedly mobilized a group to prevent the meeting, accusing Afoko and Agyepong of undermining the party’s presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo.
In response, Gregory Afoko and Asabke Alangdi allegedly formed a youth group to counter perceived threats against supporters of Akufo-Addo. The prosecution claimed that on May 20, 2015, Afoko and Asabke ambushed Mahama outside his home, pouring a substance believed to be acid on him as he returned home around 11:10 p.m.
Mahama's wife, Hajia Zenabu Adams, who came to his aid, also sustained burns. She later told investigators that her husband identified Gregory Afoko and Asabke Alangdi as the attackers before being rushed for treatment. Mahama succumbed to his injuries while being airlifted to Accra.
A post-mortem report confirmed that Mahama died from shock to the lungs and severe acid burns.
Following the attack, Afoko was arrested. Asabke initially fled with his wife, leaving their baby behind, but was later apprehended.
The trial’s conclusion brings an end to a lengthy and controversial legal process that has drawn significant public attention over the years.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
0 Comments