The High Court in Accra has discharged Gregory Afoko and Asabke Alangde in the case involving the 2015 acid attack and death of former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Alhaji Adams Mahama.
The ruling came after repeated delays in the retrial process and the absence of the prosecution during a scheduled court sitting on Monday, December 1, 2025.
This marks the third attempt to conclude the high-profile prosecution. In the previous trial, the jury returned a hung verdict on the murder and conspiracy charges against Afoko, while Alangde was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to death by hanging. The jury, however, could not reach a decision on the murder charge against him.
Following the hung verdicts, the court ordered a fresh trial for Afoko on both charges and for Alangde on the murder charge. The retrial commenced early in 2024, with pleas taken and witnesses called to testify.
However, progress stalled as the Attorney General’s office repeatedly requested adjournments. At Monday’s sitting — believed to be the seventh or eighth such delay — the presiding judge observed that no prosecutor was present to provide an update or justify the continued stall in proceedings.
Citing the prosecution’s failure to move the case forward, the judge discharged the two accused persons. The jury empanelled for the case was also discharged, with the court thanking them for their service.
It remains unclear whether the state will initiate a fresh process or take an alternative legal route. There has yet to be a formal reaction from the Attorney General’s department.
Alhaji Adams Mahama died in May 2015 after suffering severe burns from an acid attack outside his home in Bolgatanga — a murder that sparked national shock and political tension within the NPP.