The High Court in Ho has sentenced three persons to life imprisonment for shooting four people to death, at Katanga, in the Oti Region.

The convicts, Kwabena Aduam, Amanpene Gyane, and Kwabena Asante, were sentenced after they were found guilty of the charges of conspiracy to commit murder, murder, and abetment of crime.

They were said to have shot four persons at the Omanhene's Palace at Pai Kantanka, as a result of a chieftaincy conflict.

The seven jurors appointed to adjudicate the case unanimously returned a guilty verdict for all three.

Justice Mr George Buadi, the sitting Judge, said he found inconsistencies in the witness statements and cross-examination of all three.

"They tried to act clever by pleading alibi, but evidence from the investigator proved beyond reasonable doubt that they indeed committed the crime," he said.

Asante, who has been in prison custody on remand, appeared in court in handcuffs, while Aduam and Gyane, who were on bail, were accompanied to the court by their friends and relatives.

Mr Moses Asampoa, Senior State Attorney, commended the court, especially the jurors, for upholding the principle of justice.

He said the ruling would send a warning to anyone who intended to take the laws into their own hands.

After the judgment was read, Aduam and Gyane broke down in tears in the courtroom, wailing uncontrollably, while Asante showed indifference.

On November 23, 2019, gunmen said to be wearing masks stormed the installation ground, at Katanga, at the Palace of the late Nana Diawuo Bediako II, and shot into the gathering.

Four persons lost their lives while several others, who were injured, were taken to the WoraWora Government Hospital for treatment. --GNA