The Accra High Court has discharged Gregory Afoko, the man accused of the 2015 acid attack that killed Adams Mahama, former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The court also discharged his co-accused, Asabke Alangdi, bringing an end to a legal battle that has stretched for nearly eleven years.

Presiding judge Justice Marie-Louise Simmons ruled that the prolonged delays and repeated adjournments, most initiated by the prosecution, had stalled the case beyond justification. Monday’s sitting became the breaking point, as the prosecution was absent for what the court noted was the seventh or eighth consecutive adjournment without progress.

Third Trial Collapses After Prosecution Stalls

The latest proceedings marked the third attempt to try Afoko and Asabke for conspiracy to commit murder and murder. Their second trial ended in a hung jury on April 27, 2023.

The third trial began in 2024 based on a Bill of Indictment filed on March 22, 2019. The court took fresh pleas on January 18, 2024, and empanelled a new jury. Between April and November 2024, the prosecution called five of its 16 expected witnesses, but the case stalled afterward.

Justice Simmons noted that despite jurors consistently appearing, incurring state-funded allowances, the prosecution repeatedly failed to proceed. This, she said, rendered the continuation of the trial untenable.

With only five of seven jurors present on Monday and no prosecutor available, the court discharged both accused persons and dissolved the jury.

“In the circumstance, I will discharge the accused persons, and the accused persons are accordingly discharged,” Justice Simmons declared.

Background: Bail Granted After Nearly a Decade on Remand

Afoko was granted bail on February 21, 2025, after spending almost ten years in custody. The court set bail at GH₵500,000 with two sureties, which the defence successfully secured. The prosecution did not oppose the application at the time.

Afoko is the brother of former NPP National Chairman Paul Afoko, who was suspended from the party in 2015.

The 2015 Acid Attack That Sparked National Outrage

On May 20, 2015, Adams Mahama was attacked with acid outside his home in Bolgatanga. According to the prosecution’s account:

• Mahama identified Gregory Afoko and Asabke Alangdi as his attackers.
• His wife, Hajia Zenabu, also sustained burns while trying to help him.
• Mahama died from extensive acid burns and shock to the lungs while being airlifted to Accra.

The attack followed internal tensions within the NPP, including disputes involving senior party figures visiting the region days earlier.

Afoko and Asabke were accused of forming a youth group that ambushed Mahama at night, allegedly dousing him with acid before fleeing on a motorbike.

Asabke later fled his home with his wife, abandoning their baby, before eventually being arrested.

Trials, Delays, and a Final Discharge

The first trial aborted in 2019.
The second ended in a hung jury in 2023.
The third collapsed due to repeated prosecutorial delays, leading the judge to dismiss the accused persons after more than a decade of legal proceedings.

As of now, the Attorney-General’s Department has not issued a public response to the discharge.