Three men in the Volta region have been arrested and charged with treason with the possibility of facing a death penalty if they are convicted.

The Volta Regional police command would arraign before court members of the Homeland Study Group Foundation who are demanding self-determination for some decades now. 

The group has been advocating for the restoration of the Western Togoland which they claim stretches from parts of the Northern region, Upper East, Volta region down to the Gulf of Guinea.

Police ACP Nana Asomah Hinneh who confirmed they have picked up the two men on March 6 branded their activities as illegal.

He told Joy News one of the men, 57, was found distributing T-shirts with the inscription which suggests that on May 9, they are going to put up a new country, Western Togoland which has a different flag.

"May 9, 2017, is our day," was the inscription on the back of the T-shirt the police commander said, explaining that was the reason they were arrested and charged with treason adding one was old so he was granted bail. 

"They told me they were educating people on the Trans-Volta Togoland and I have been very interested in that, but once they want to take a part of Ghana they must use the legal means by going to the Supreme court," he said. 

According to him, they said they did not have any confidence in the Supreme Court and there is no way they are going there. 

ACP Asomah Hinneh said the inscription on the T-shirts led them to believe that the group wants to actualise their aims so they moved to stop them. 

As to whether they pose any threat, he said the police do not have such evidence and they do no know what they are doing on their blind side. 

He said they are generating a lot of following with lots of people attending their meetings and the police have been eavesdropping on their meetings. 

The police commander disclosed that there are some political activists who attend these meetings but he would not name them as police investigations are ongoing. 

Speaking on Joy FM's Newsnight programme, the Volta Region Minister, Archibald Letsa, who also chairs the Regional Security Council, also confirmed that is evidence that the group is being backed by some political element.

“There are some political elements who attend their meetings and I wouldn’t want to disclose their identity now, but it is known to the security agencies. We are worried about that. It is not something we are happy about at all,” he said.

However, the son of the founder of the group Wise Kudzodzi insists that his father did no wrong by insisting on what he believes is their right to self-determination. 

"It is a study group and not a political party...and after studying we have realized that we are not part of Ghana and we have become Ghanaians by plebiscite and paper and ballot boxes cannot give birth to human beings so our point is that our forefathers have voted to be in union with Ghana not to be integrated into Ghana. 

He said they have not sighted any document or memorandum of understanding regarding making them Ghanaians so their own nationality must be given back to them. 

After the Second World War, the political status of British Togoland changed - it became a United Nations Trust Territory, although still administered by the United Kingdom.

During the decolonisation of Africa, a plebiscite was organised in British Togoland in May 1956 to decide the future of the territory. A majority of voters taking part voted to merge the territory with the neighbouring Gold Coast, a British Crown colony.

On 13 December 1956, the United Nations General Assembly passed General Assembly resolution 1044 on “The future of Togoland under British administration”.

By that resolution, the UN acknowledged the outcome of the plebiscite held in the Territory which was a majority in favour of unity with Gold Coast.