The Very Reverend Dr. Solomon Bruce, Superintendent Minister, and Synod Secretary of the Sunyani Methodist Diocese has urged judges and lawyers to remember that the court is a refuge for people seeking justice.
He encouraged them to have the spirit to defend the weak and execute their duties with or without payment, for God’s blessings.
The Superintendent Minister made the statement in a sermon delivered at the Remembrance Day Service on Sunday at the Methodist Church in Sunyani.
The Ghana Bar Association, Bono Branch, joined in the service to mark the 42nd celebration of Martyrs’ Day, which commemorates the abduction and killing of three High Court judges and a retired Army officer on June 30, 1982.
The four were abducted from their homes in Accra on June 30, 1982, and their charred bodies found at the Bundase Military Range in the Accra Plains.
As a result, June 30 has been declared Martyrs’ Day by the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) and the Judicial Service to organize events in memory of the judges.
The Very Reverend Dr. Bruce entreated lawyers and judges to understand that their profession was a calling to serve humanity by ensuring justice and fairness.
He asked them to always let truth and fairness prevail in their judgments and verdicts, remembering that they will also appear before God’s supreme seat for accountability.
He asked lawyers to stand for the laws of the land, upholding integrity, and resilience in their profession.
Martyrs’ Day commemorates the abduction and killing of three High Court judges and a retired Army officer: Justice Fred Poku Sarkodie, Mrs. Justice Cecelia Koranteng-Addow, Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong, and Major Sam Acquah.
They were abducted from their homes on June 30, 1982, and murdered at the Bundase Military Range in the Accra Plains.
Their bodies were soaked with petrol and set on fire, but a heavy downpour that night quenched the flames.
The charred bodies were discovered in a state of decomposition.
As a result, June 30 has been declared Martyrs’ Day by the Ghana Bar Association and the Judicial Service to hold events in their memory.