New Regime in Ghana Executes 2 Ex‐Rulers And 4 Senior Officers
Two former Ghanaian military rulers, Lieut. Gen. Frederick W. K. Akuffo and Lieut. Gen. A. A. Afrifa, were publicly executed by firing squad today on orders of young officers who seized power in a coup earlier this month.
The two were shot with four other senior officers in front of a large crowd at a military firing range on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near Accra, the capital. They were accused of economic sabotage, abuse of power to amass wealth and misuse of state funds.
Eight senior officers now have been executed since General Akuffo, 42 years old, was overthrown three weeks ago by officers led by Flight Lieut. Jerry Rawlings.
Purge of Corruption
The new Armed Forces Revolutionary Council led by Flight Lieutenant Rawlings has pledged to purge Ghana of corruption before handing power over to civilian politicians by Oct. 1.
The four men shot with General Akuffo and General Afrifa were Col. Roger Felli, a former Foreign Affairs Commissioner; Cmdr. Joy K. Amedume, a former Labor Minister; Maj. Gen. Robert Kotei, a former Chief of Defense Staff, and former Air Vice Marshal George Boakye.
General Afrifa, 43, was Ghana’s head of state in the late 1960’s after helping to lead the coup that overthrew President Kwame Nkrumah in 1966.
General Akuffo’s predecessor as head of state, Gen. Ignatius K. Acheampong, and Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Utuka, a former Border Guard commander, were executed for corruption on June 16. diplomats for his dynamism, his political skills, and his democratic views.
After the overthrew of President Kwame Nkrumah, he became, at 31, the country’s Minister of Finance. His modest style of living and outspokenness in urging Ghanaians to seek “nothing short of decent democratic rule” made him one of the most popular leaders in Ghana.
Upon becoming head of state in 1969, he lifted a ban on political activity and urged a return to civilian rule.
Source: nytimes.com
