Kugblenu's son calls for truth about his death

The third child of the Mr John Tei Kugblenu, former Editor of the Free Press, on Thursday petitioned the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) to record the truth surrounding the arrest and death of his father.

"Government must also accept that a wrong was done and a great dishonour was done this country by killing someone, who served as a voice for the voiceless," Mr Adlai Kugblenu, said amidst sobs.

He said he was 17 years old in 1983 when personnel of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) arrested and detained his father for almost a year at the Nsawam Prisons, only for him to die in August 1984, six weeks after he was released.

He said nobody told the family why his father, who was 45 years old then, was arrested and no charge was laid against him.

"My father was hypertensive at the time of the arrest and this coupled with the conditions in the prison and his inability to gain access to his medication resulted in the deterioration of his condition."

Adlai said the autopsy report on his father indicated that he suffered from hypertension, cardiac failure and a problem with his spinal cord.

He said his mother, who had suffered psychologically because of the trauma she went through during her husband's arrest and subsequent death could not be present at the hearing due to ill health.

Adlai said on June 23, 1983, personnel of the BNI arrested his father and took him away after a thorough search of the house.

He said after three days of trying to locate his father, the family got to know that he was detained at the BNI cells and only his wife was allowed to visit him.

After five days at the BNI, he was sent to the Cantonment Police Station cells where other family members were permitted to see him.

"Later, they sent him to the Nsawam Prisons, where he spent about a year. All these while, nobody told us why my father was arrested."

Adlai said it was only after a month in prison that the family was able to give him his medication, which he was supposed to have been taking everyday.

Mr Kugblenu said they filed a writ on his arrest that was to be heard on June 23, 1984. However, they could not follow it up as Mr Kugblenu was released from prison before the day for the hearing and he needed medical attention as his condition had deteriorated.

He prayed the Commission that justice must be done as his father died for pursuing a just cause.

General Emmanuel Erskine, Member of the Commission, said Ghanaians appreciated the efforts of his father adding that the John Kugblenu Memorial Lectures held every year was to revere the efforts of his father.