Five years after the shocking murder of Sogakope Assembly Member, Mawuli Adzahli, justice has finally been served. The High Court in Ho, presided over by Justice Daniel Ekow Mensah, has sentenced the ringleader, Richard Adikyere, to life imprisonment for his role in the deadly armed robbery.
Two of his accomplices, Emmanuel Hedzro and Stephen Adzibolo, were each handed 47-year prison terms for robbery.
On March 1, 2020, Adikyere led a gang of armed robbers to Mawuli Adzahli’s home at about 1:30 a.m., where they broke into the building with cement blocks. Armed with a pump-action gun and two pistols, Adikyere fired three shots at the assemblyman, killing him instantly. A post-mortem at the Sogakope District Hospital confirmed that Adzahli died from gunshot wounds to the head and chest at close range.
The attackers stole a significant amount of money before fleeing.
According to Senior State Attorney Andrews Dodzi Adugu, the operation was orchestrated by Emmanuel Hedzro, who tipped off Adikyere about a “rich merchant” in Sogakope—referring to Adzahli. Hedzro then led Adikyere to the house, after which Adikyere recruited more men to form the robbery gang.
The court heard that the murder weapon had been stolen by Adikyere during a previous robbery.
In the days following the murder, police tracked and arrested the suspects at various locations, including Ashaiman. During interrogation, Adikyere confessed to personally shooting the assemblyman. Hedzro, the initiator of the crime, was found to have used his share of the stolen money to buy a motorbike worth GH¢4,800.
Four other gang members—Obed Ayornu, Michael Sam, Samuel Kofi Zotorvi, and his twin brother Christian Zotorvi—entered plea deals and admitted to participating in the robbery. Each was sentenced to 15 years in prison during an earlier court session.
Adikyere, Hedzro, and Adzibolo pleaded not guilty, but the court found them guilty after reviewing overwhelming evidence, including eyewitness accounts, forensic reports, and confessions.
In delivering the judgement, Justice Mensah condemned the “heinous and callous” nature of the crime, describing the murder as a “deliberate act of violence that cut short the life of a productive and respected public servant”.
As police officers led the convicts out of the courtroom, Adikyere—handcuffed to Hedzro—lunged at journalists who tried to photograph them. Security officers quickly restrained him.
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