Five years after the assembly member for Sogakope, Mawutor Adzahli, was robbed and shot dead at his residence by gangsters, the ringleader, Richard Adikyere, a mason, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
The High Court in Ho, presided over by Justice Daniel Ekow Mensah, also sentenced two accomplices—Emmanuel Hedzro and Stephen Adzibolo—to 47 years each for robbery.
Adikyere had pleaded not guilty to robbery, possession of firearms without lawful authority, and murder, while Hedzro and Adzibolo also pleaded not guilty to robbery. However, the court found all three guilty after a full trial.
Four other accomplices—Obed Ayornu, Michael Sam, Samuel Kofi Zotorvi, and his twin brother, Christian Zotorvi—who had earlier entered plea deals and admitted their involvement, were each sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.
Senior State Attorney Andrews Dodzi Adugu told the court that in 2020, Hedzro informed Adikyere about a “wealthy merchant” in Sogakope and asked him to recruit others for a robbery. Hedzro later led Adikyere to the home of the assemblyman, Mawutor Adzahli.
On March 1, 2020, at about 1:30 am, Adikyere, Adzibolo, Ayornu, and Sam stormed Adzahli’s home, broke into his room using cement blocks, and attacked him. Armed with a pump action gun and pistols, Adikyere shot the assemblyman three times, killing him instantly, before the group fled with a large sum of money.
A post-mortem examination at the Sogakope District Hospital confirmed the cause of death as severe head and chest injuries caused by close-range gunshots.
Following the crime, police arrested the suspects at various locations, including Ashaiman. During interrogation, Adikyere admitted to killing the assemblyman with a pump action gun he had stolen during an earlier robbery.
The court, in its judgment, described the offences as “heinous and callous,” and said the prosecution had presented overwhelming evidence to support the charges.
As officers escorted the convicts out of the courtroom, Adikyere, who was handcuffed to Hedzro, attempted to attack journalists who tried to photograph them.
