Ghana Bar Association honours 3 murdered High Court judges

The Ghana Bar Association laid wreaths in honor of three late High Court judges and a retired army officer who were abducted and gruesomely murdered 42 years ago in the line of duty.

The remembrance ceremony, held at the forecourt of the Supreme Court building on June 30, 2024, commemorated Justice Fred Poku Sarkodie, Justice Cecilia Koranteng Addow, and Justice Kojo Agyei Agyapong, who were killed under the then PNDC government.

Speaking to GhanaWeb about the significance of the ceremony, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Bar Association, Mr. Saviour Kudze, emphasized that the abduction and murder of the high court judges is a blot on the conscience of the country.

He stressed the importance of ensuring that such atrocities do not recur in Ghana’s history.

“The reason for celebrating this is that we do not ever want to see such happening in our society again because we consider it a blot on the conscience of this country. It is not just a usual remembrance service to honor the dead but to emphasize that such an event was a grievous wrong and must never be repeated in the history of Ghana,” Mr. Kudze stated.

Addressing the potential causes of such incidents, Mr. Kudze suggested that a lack of understanding of the judiciary system might be a contributing factor.

He appealed for education and sensitization on how the system works, especially the adjudication process involving cases.

He also stressed the need to foster trust between Ghanaians and the country’s institutions to ensure people utilize established procedures to address issues instead of taking the law into their own hands.

“We should learn to trust our institutions because they are run by humans who may make mistakes. If mistakes are made, or we think mistakes are made, we should use laid-down procedures to address such issues, not take the law into our own hands,” Mr. Kudze appealed.

“In recent times, people have attacked court staff, magistrates, and judges in courtrooms. Such actions could lead to situations similar to what happened in 1982, which we do not want to happen again,” he added.

The remembrance ceremony was attended by high-profile personalities, including Attorney General Godfred Dame, Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, political figures, and members of the GBA.

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