An Accra High Court has discharged Gregory Afoko, the man accused of murdering Adams Mahama, the former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), bringing to an end a trial that dragged on for nearly 11 years.
Afoko and one Asabke Alangdi were jointly charged with conspiracy to commit murder and murder after Adams Mahama was fatally attacked with acid in front of his house in Bolgatanga on May 20, 2015. Mahama died a day later from extensive acid burns and inhalation injuries.
Alangdi was earlier convicted and sentenced to death by hanging, leaving Afoko as the sole remaining accused person in the high-profile case.
On Monday, December 1, 2025, the trial judge, Justice Marie-Louise Simmons, discharged Afoko on the grounds that the case had been adjourned more than six times without any meaningful progress or activity.
The court noted that the jury, which is required to have seven members, had only five in attendance, further complicating the continuation of the trial.
Justice Simmons consequently dissolved the jury and formally discharged Gregory Afoko, effectively ending the protracted legal battle.
The discharge means Afoko walks free unless the state decides to file fresh charges or appeal the court’s decision.
The case, which began in 2015, had suffered numerous delays over the years due to legal and procedural challenges, making it one of the longest-running criminal trials in recent Ghanaian legal history.
Adams Mahama, the former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), was attacked with acid on the night of 20 May 2015 in front of his house in Bolgatanga. Unknown assailants on a motorbike poured corrosive acid on him and fled. He suffered severe burns and died the following day (21 May 2015) at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital while being prepared for airlifting to Accra.
Gregory Afoko and Asabke Alangdi were arrested and charged with conspiracy and murder. The prosecution alleged the attack was politically motivated and linked to internal NPP power struggles in the region.