Digesting the labyrinth murders of the Judges 39 years ago: Were the NDC founders innocent?

It is exactly thirty-nine years today that some heartless coup enthusiasts needlessly and barbarically murdered three prominent Judges and an Army Officer on 30th June 1982.

“If you would look deeper, history is broad yet deep that binds the core existence of the world. Hence, history keeps records of events that happened.

“History is a lesson in the past but can also be the greatest regret of the future. Yet the reason why there is history is because of the events that were created by man (Hughes 2010).”

Understandably, though, the NDC faithful would never agree with some of us for persistently critiquing the current affairs through the lenses of past events.

But I am afraid we cannot make sense of the present happenings if we refused to take stock of the past events.

To be quite honest, some of us cannot help but to shrill, grouch, censure, and highlight the revoltingly risible and inborn predilection of the devotees of the 31st December 1981 coup d’état.

“June 30th, 1982 continues to remain a dark spot in the nation’s political history and a nightmare for all judges in the country, after the three High Court Judges, namely, Mr. Justice Fred Poku Sarkodie, Mrs. Justice Cecilia Koranteng- Addow, and Mr. Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyapong as well as a retired army officer, Major Sam Acquah, were callously murdered under strange circumstances at the Bundase Military Range in the Accra Plains, after being abducted on the night by some unidentified assailants (rawafrica.com).”

In any case, I feel duty-bound as a bona fide Ghanaian to offer free remedial history tutorials to the benighted and the younger generation.

The story is told that in their desperate attempt to impose themselves on Ghanaians, the founders of the NDC disgustingly took arms and succeeded in overthrowing the constitutionally elected government of Dr. Hilla Limann on 31st December 1981.

The founders of NDC formed a government which they called the Provisional national Defence Council (PNDC) and appointed Rawlings as the chairman.

In their weird attempt to get rid of the alleged sleazes and corruption, many Ghanaians were unjustifiably murdered or tortured mercilessly for apparent insignificant offenses.

Market women were regrettably stripped naked in the broad daylight and whipped for hauling their products or selling at high prices. While their male counterparts were wickedly shaved with broken bottles and whipped for offenses that would not even warrant a Police caution in a civilized society.

Regrettably, three eminent High Court Judges and a prominent Army Officer were barbarically murdered by some mindless stooges of PNDC on 30th June 1982 for carrying out their constitutionally mandated duties.

Investigations revealed that all the three Judges were sitting on review cases brought by citizens disgusted over the treatment meted out to them by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council which the military junta formed after June 4.

It was reported that the Judges ordered the release of persons who had been unlawfully sentenced to long terms of imprisonment during the despotic rule of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC).

The Army Officer, Major Sam Acquah, was the head of administration who signed dismissal letters for some GIHOC workers, including one of the murder suspects, Joachim Amartey Kwei, whose services were terminated for invading and destroying property at the Parliament House.

Subsequently, the PNDC fatuous apologists savagely murdered the three eminent High Court Judges and the Army Officer because their judgment did not go in their favour.

The Special Investigation Board (SIB) however concluded that the abduction and murder was a fiendish plot orchestrated by, and with the connivance of the members of the Provisional National Defence Council.

As a matter of fact, Ghana’s coup d’état days under the founders of the NDC could be likened to: “in the China of “the Great Helmsman,” Kim Il Sung’s Korea, Vietnam under “Uncle Ho”, Cuba under Castro, Ethiopia under Mengistu, Angola under Neto, and Afghanistan under Najibullah”.

May their souls rest in peace.

Damiri fa due due due!!!!!!