Rawlings: A soldier was contracted to kill me in 2008

Former President John Rawlings has alleged that a serving military officer was contracted by his political opponents to assassinate him during the 2008 elections.

According to him, the plot on his life failed because other military officers who hated the idea conspired to foil the attempt.

“A soldier was given a gun during the 2008 campaign election to kill me and the other two generals; Nunoo Mensah and the navy commander (unnamed),” the former president stated during the funeral ceremony of the Kwawumanhene in the Eastern region.

He added: “Fortunately, our own brothers in the army arrested that soldier who was commissioned to embark on that senseless act. They kept him in the guard room to investigate the incident after the elections results.”

The former military leader disclosed that the issue failed to gain national attention because the late president John Mills told him (Rawlings), “that he did not want to investigate all matters that preceded his assumption of office”.

He said Ghanaians must realise that democracy cannot be fully achieved if the preservation of human lives cannot be guaranteed.