Soldiers demanded GH₵50,000 each to overthrow govt – Prosecution witness

Staff Sergeant Sule Awarf, prosecution witness, in the ongoing treason trial of ten persons, including seven soldiers, has told the Accra High Court that soldiers recruited to embark on the alleged overthrow of government, demanded GH₵50,000.00 cash each.

Staff sgt Sule, who recorded all the activities of the alleged overthrow plot, both on audio and video as instructed by his superiors, said, the amount included their assistance during and after the exercise.

Led by Mrs Yvonne Atakorah Obuobisa, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), in his evidence-in-chief, Staff sgt Sule said he was contacted by Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Esther Saan, the only female among the accused in the treason trial, in 2019, about the intended plot by Dr Frederick Yao Mac Palm.

Staff sgt Sule said he met Bright Allan Debrah, alias BB, at the Next Door Beach Resort-Teshie, who in turn introduced Dr Palm to him as the Chief Executive Officer of the Citadel Hospital, located at Alajo.

Prosecution witness said Dr Palm convinced him (Sule) that there was the need to overthrow the incumbent government because in addition to the National Democratic Congress, they had failed the country.

The Court presided over by Justices; Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, Hafsata Amaliba and Stephen Oppong heard that Staff Sgt Sule and Esther were invited to help recruit security personnel to assist in the process, promising that if the goal was achieved, they would be given positions in his administration.

Staff Sgt Sule said Dr Palm also convinced them that democracy was not good for Ghana as it had lost ‘discipline’ and it was only the military that could restore discipline back to the country.
 
Staff Sgt Sule said that since he had travelled to South Sudan and seen the negative effects of coup d’etat on that country as well as did not want his name to be mentioned among the coup plotters, he informed one Colonel (retired) Ansu, his former boss, who directed him to Major General Omane Agyekum, his commandant, and later to Major General Andoh, Director General of Intelligence.

Staff Sgt Sule said he was asked to feign interest and therefore given both audio and video devices to record all their activities whenever he attended their meetings.

Prosecution witness said that their meetings were mostly attended by WO2 Esther, Bright and Corporal Sylvester Akanpewe and they were given cellular phones with sim cards for communication among the group members.

He also told the Court that he was aware of the activities of Ezor from when he was given GH₵7,000.00 by Dr Palm to buy materials for weapons, till he had manufactured a quantity of pistols and Improvised Explosive Devices and video recorded the manufacturing process.

The prosecution witness said Ezor made call in his presence to buy an AK 47 to augment the stock of weapons

Staff Sgt Sule  said that realizing Ezor had completed his work and was about to go back to Alavanyo, he informed his boss and he was asked to delay Ezor, leading to the arrest of accused when they went to test the weapons at the Military Shooting Range, Teshie.

Dr Mac Palm, Ezor, BB, Johannes Zikpi, Colonel Samuel Kojo Gameli, WO2 Esther, Corporal Abubakar, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Sylvester Akanpewe and Assistant Commissioner of Police Benjamin Korsi Agordzo are standing trial over an alleged high treason and they have since been granted bail. – GNA