The government of H. E. John Agyekum Kufour set up a reconciliatory process to see if there could be a closure to events that happened in our country and caused severe pains to many people including those who had relatives that served in our security services. Some accomplished people who lost all they had acquired through hard work and their sweat ended up like paupers.
As much as it was a good exercise and initiative, I wish the commission achieved its purpose.
I got an encounter with someone who knew vividly what happened at that time and thought that, it will take an extra grace for someone to forgive of the atrocities the events especially 1979 meted to the person. Particularly, those who lost relatives that could not be accounted for.
In his account, there was one great rich man who was known as “Baakomie”. A rich man who did all the good to the poor and society lost everything he had and was virtually left with nothing.
How it started – The under current!
General Acheampong after his coup formed the Supreme Military Council I (SMC I) which at that time constituted of officers with the rank of Major. The majors were replaced with officers of higher rank than major with General Acheampong promoting himself to the highest rank in the armed forces to be the superior command of the SMC II.
Those were the time senior officers had no respect for the soldiers of the other ranks. The treatment to these servicemen was nothing to write home about. It generated nothing than anger among the junior staffs of the force. Officers could open their mouths and talk anyhow to the soldier in addition to the great disparity in their salaries. Comments that denoted junior rank soldiers were like carpets for officers to walk on them heaped the anger that had built in the soldiers. All lot of issues of inequality were found and no one could do anything about them. Those who spoke about it had to pay with their jobs because they talked back at officers.
The regimes of General Acheampong had put so much power in the hands of market women and traders. They retained things to create scarcity and sold at their own prices. “Kalabule” got its name at this point. Market women were powerful even than soldiers in the other ranks. A serviceman dare not go to the marketplace in uniform. “Women could even urinate and pour on you by then and you will have no one to talk on your behalf”. All because the women in the markets across the country were feeding the officers which gave them certain powers to maltreat the soldiers because they knew they were not even respected back in the barracks.
The then Army Commander referred to every other soldier as a “bantu” soldier. If you finish your turn of duty at his residence and you get no trouble to be shaved in the guard room, then you are lucky. Insults were a daily delicacy for soldiers who served at his house. This was an officer who ended up sacking people without due recourse to the army procedures. These and many more of the unfair treatment piled up to the chest of the other rank soldiers but they had no opportunity to vent their anger.
A window of opportunity!
Fifteen officers from the air force led by Flight Lf. Jerry John Rawlings attempted a coup d’tat to over-throw the SMC II. The failed coup, which was planned and brought several brilliant students from school back to the army, got the 15 officers arrested to face the tribunal at that time. The leader of the officers took responsibility for the actions of the officers and asked for all of them to be released. The speech of the charismatic leader at the trial made all the difference.
The soldiers of the other ranks who were present at the trial, for instance, brilliant Akatapori, heard, after all, there were some officers who were interested to fight for their course. A sentence was passed for JJ Rawlings to be killed on June 4th, 1979, in the morning.
The time frame was enough for the soldiers to grand plan a rescue for the officers who they heard were embarking on the coup for their good.
The jail break opened the can of worms
On the dawn of 4th June when Rawlings was to be killed by firing squad, not even himself was convinced that he will live. The other ranks lead by Akatapori broke Jerry out of the jail and took him to the broadcasting house to make the announcement as the Head of State who was in charge. The man who thought it was time for his death could not speak for the reason that he had not recovered from the shock of his rescue.
They then took Jerry to the barracks while the leadership of the SMC II who were taken by surprise were surrounded.
It was a payback for the officers by the junior ranked soldiers. Anyone who had at any point in time spoken roughly to the soldiers had themselves to blame.
Why revenge leads to blood shed!!
The country was now in the hands of the soldiers in the other rank. They started by clearing the chairman of the tribunal that tried Jerry at the barracks. The killing of the officer and his family sparked the outrage and anarchy. Jerry was taken to the Gonda barracks as the Head of State while the SMC was chased after. Anyone who virtually was above the rank of Captain was in trouble and had to flee for dear life. It was a nationwide exercise for other rank soldiers to rid the system of the disrespecting officers. Their actions for many years had been tolerated and no one could speak on their behalves. Soldiers were found all over with guns looking for ammunition. It was a common thing to find someone dead on regular basis.
The surprise was that the action resonated across the barracks in the country without any special instructions from an individual. The country got out of control. It was all about revenge. The best place at that time to seek refuge was the police station and the cells in the barracks if you were an officer. The killings of the officers were not officially sanctioned but were happening secretly. Your safety at that time could only be assured when you report yourself.
Why revenge leads to blood shed!!
The country was now in the hands of the soldiers in the other rank. They started by clearing the chairman of the tribunal that tried Jerry at the barracks. The killing of the officer and his family sparked the outrage and anarchy. Jerry was taken to the Honda barracks as the head of state while the SMC was chased after. Anyone who virtually was above the rank of Captain was in trouble and had to flee for dear life. It was a nationwide exercise for other rank soldiers to rid the system of the disrespecting officers. Their actions for many years had been tolerated and no one could speak on their behalves. Soldiers were found all over with guns looking for ammunition. It was a common thing to find someone dead on regular basis.
The surprise was that the action resonated across the barracks in the country without any special instructions from an individual. The country got out of control. It was all about revenge. The best place at that time to seek refuge was the police station and the cells in the barracks if you were an officer. The killings of the officers were not officially sanctioned but were happening secretly. Your safety at that time could only be assured when you report yourself.
The situation escalated to the extent that it became the order of the day to find junior ranks grabbing their guns and heading to the house of one of the officers just to go and take their pound of flesh. Some even went to the extreme of doing away with the families of those officers. The account presented of the killing of Willington at the Nima police station. The army commander who everyone considered as an officer with flaming words. He was sought after by everyone who had had issues with him. Those who were in service and the many ones who had been sacked for several minor offences that under normal circumstances could have been glossed over. One of the junior rank soldiers saw him on one occasion and gathered the others to chase him. He had to run for cover at the Nima Police station. He was given hot chase by the soldiers. The number of people that were chasing him kept increasing when all those who looked for Willington heard he had been found and was going to seek refuge with the police. The police upon seeing the crowd fled and left the army officer at the police station especially when they were coming while firing the bullets. He was killed and as if that was not enough, each soldier who finally came to see his dead body also opened fire on the deceased. His dead body was battered and shattered apart with the bullet wounds. The manner in which the officer was killed made Jerry weep when he saw the body. Of all the officers who died, Willington was one of the few who received burial as an officer of the force.
Must it always be a revenge?
In the Sunyani barracks, prior to the 1979 brouhaha, there was an officer who had equally the character the junior ranks described as abhorring. His dislike for one Ila Aeykan was so obvious that people wondered what the problem was. It was simply as the officer was unable to stand the truth and competition. Though a friend, Ila Aeykan got to know a lady who the officer was very much interested in. The officer found several faults with the soldier and shove him in addition to sending him to the guard room for confrontations that usually will allow passing. It became very clear when one day, the officer met Ila at the lady’s place and warned for him not to visit the lady else find himself to be blamed. That sparked several hate actions from the officer which at the slightest opportunity any junior soldier will revenge.
During the revolution, some of the junior soldiers who had equally suffered at the hands of the particular officer planned to eliminate him one of the evenings when he shows up for duty. They were to create an uproar as soon as he shows up for usual duties and then in the midst of that they will shoot him since one would have the capacity to come and investigate. Ila Aeykan who could have taken advantage of what they colleagues were planning to do went and told the Officer in Charge of the unit of the plot and requested of him to send the officer in question out of Sunyani before that night else he was going to be killed. The in charge who at several fora had arbitrated issues between Ila and the officer targetted to be eliminated wondered the kind of goodness Ila was portraying. The officer could not believe it till Ila insisted to tell his perceived enemy himself if the in charge could call him. The evening came and the junior ranked soldiers had gone to smoke in high spirit awaiting action. Surprisingly, the officer did not show up that night for duties and the soldiers wondered what had happened. They later got to know Ila had revealed their plot to save the man all thought was his enemy.
There is good in your enemy
Several years after the revolution, Ila Aeykan was transferred from Sunyani to the Military Academy in Accra as an instructor. He had now become friends with the officer he saved his life and did not want to avenge. He was there oneway when the officer spoke to the commanding officer (CO) of Ila’s unit that he has a slot for a soldier to join a team to a peacekeeping mission in the middle east. He indicated he wanted Ila to go. Ila refused on several counts the opportunity that people even went to lobby for as far as I knew in the barracks.
Upon insistence, the CO was able to persuade Ila to take the slot to the missions. While there, a friend showed him an opportunity to join the United Nations security if Ila was interested. It was a simple information that he needed to provide which he did. Later on, after the missions, he got appointed to join the UN at the Hague and went to serve for almost 20 years when he left the Ghana Army. This was an opportunity very few got the chance to go and serve. The doors the opportunity to go on the missions opened to Ila were enormous. A one time enemy also had something good to offer but it was a matter of time. But it must also be mentioned that Ila knew out of patience how to keep his enemy around to his benefit at a later time.
“House cleaning”?
Many knew that the brunt of the 1979 uproar was targeted to clear and clean the military high command. Many officers that were cited for unlawful acts and needed to die were made to face the tribunals in those times. There was no proper legal representation for the officers who faced the tribunals. Many of them were not even allowed to speak and were handed their sentences. These were even those who had the opportunity to be tried by that improper manner.
Others including the members of the SMC II with their leader were not given any opportunity to face any tribunal but rather picked from their home and shot to death.
General Gnopmaehca (General Acheampong) who led the SMC II hailed from one town which is not very far from the Northern Command Headquarters. An instruction came for the leader to be picked from his residence and brought to face the Armed Forces Revolution Council (AFRC). The armoured car to go and collect the one time leader of the country arrived in the morning before he woke up. When he was given the details, he knew they were coming for him. So he requested for some time to take his bath and get ready for the journey. After bathing, the old man also requested to be allowed to take some whisky. The juniors who had gone to collect him allowed his request. They moved when he indicated he was ready. The driver of the armoured car in which he travelled even though after some protest, said his perfume stayed in the vehicle for about 2 months. When the general was sent to the Northern Command in Kumasi, he met the other colleagues who together formed the SMC II. He told them of what is likely to happen to them but each remained quiet even after refusing to respond to the greetings of the general.
Th next morning a helicopter from Accra collected the Generals to Accra and were sent straight to the firing squad to be shot. General and leader of the SMC died in the very dressing he wore when he first left his home. For what reason they were shot is yet to be given. Quite pathetic was the killing of other officers simultaneously for a simple reason to strike a regional balance.
Civilians also had their share
The outrage after the killing of the generals grew wild when students who thought their liberty had been suppressed also took to the streets and chanted for the blood to flow by “Junior Jesus”. They had been restricted from all forms of demonstrations and protests. They then saw the moment as one to liberate themselves. The students from the various tertiary schools cheered the soldiers on and they also did worse.
Readers will remember that one of the things that angered the junior ranked soldiers was the way market women and traders became powerful in the Acheampong era. During the house cleaning exercise of the officers, there was an overflow to civilians, largely the market women who once upon a time could urinate and pour on the men of the force.
Business, filling stations, market women …..
To be continued ….
The account given here is credited to an officer of the force who served diligently.
I抦 not that much of a online reader to be honest but your sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later. Cheers
After I initially commented I clicked the -Notify me when new feedback are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same comment. Is there any approach you’ll be able to remove me from that service? Thanks!
Thanks for the ideas you are giving on this weblog. Another thing I would like to say is getting hold of duplicates of your credit history in order to scrutinize accuracy of the detail will be the first measures you have to carry out in credit score improvement. You are looking to clear your credit history from dangerous details flaws that screw up your credit score.
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Very useful information particularly the last part 🙂 I care for such info a lot. I was seeking this particular info for a very long time. Thank you and good luck.
Many thanks for sharing these wonderful threads. In addition, the optimal travel plus medical insurance strategy can often reduce those worries that come with touring abroad. A medical emergency can in the near future become extremely expensive and that’s guaranteed to quickly slam a financial burden on the family’s finances. Setting up in place the ideal travel insurance offer prior to leaving is definitely worth the time and effort. Thanks a lot
We’re a bunch of volunteers and opening a brand new scheme in our community. Your site offered us with helpful info to paintings on. You have done a formidable task and our whole group might be grateful to you.
It抯 really a nice and helpful piece of info. I am glad that you shared this useful info with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
Heya i am for the primary time here. I came across this board and I in finding It really helpful & it helped me out a lot. I am hoping to offer one thing back and help others like you aided me.
Eastern little Hempison. I sent a warning.
In recent years, of course, 50 6654.50 models.The league depth is 0-15 meters.
When he missedSpring
What I have seen in terms of computer system memory is there are specifications such as SDRAM, DDR etc, that must go with the specifications of the motherboard. If the pc’s motherboard is rather current and there are no operating-system issues, updating the ram literally will take under 1 hour. It’s one of many easiest personal computer upgrade types of procedures one can envision. Thanks for giving your ideas.
I’m curious to find out what blog platform you have been working with? I’m having some minor security problems with my latest blog and I’d like to find something more risk-free. Do you have any recommendations?
Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I抣l definitely comeback.
I think other website proprietors should take this website as an model, very clean and magnificent user genial style and design, let alone the content. You are an expert in this topic!
hey there and thanks on your information – I’ve definitely picked up something new from right here. I did however experience some technical points the use of this web site, as I experienced to reload the site many occasions prior to I may get it to load correctly. I had been pondering in case your web hosting is OK? Not that I am complaining, however slow loading instances instances will often impact your placement in google and could injury your high quality rating if ads and ***********|advertising|advertising|advertising and *********** with Adwords. Anyway I am including this RSS to my email and could glance out for much extra of your respective intriguing content. Make sure you replace this again soon..
I’ve read several just right stuff here. Definitely value bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how so much attempt you place to create this sort of magnificent informative site.