Witness tells NRC he begrudged his late brother

and did not attend his funeral

Ho, Jan. 21, GNA - Bishop Charles Palmer-Buckle, a member of the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) on Wednesday advised a witness, ex-Private Joseph Agbotui to take steps to overcome the grudge he bore the late brother who he alleged undermined his re-enlistment into the Ghana Army in 1982.

Bishop Palmer-Buckle gave the advice when ex-Private Agbotui told the Commission sitting in Ho that he bore his late brother, Emmanuel Agbotui a grudge to the extent that he did not attend his burial and funeral.

"I think that is the crux of the problem," Bishop Palmer-Buckle stated, adding that the ex-soldier needed to be helped to get his mind and spirit psychic balanced.

"Traditionally, if you don't learn to forgive somebody who has died, you make it difficult to get into line," said Bishop Palmer-Buckle.

Ex Pte Agbotui, who said he was discharged from the Army after serving 12 years, told the Commission that his desire was to serve the stipulated number of years to qualify him for pension. He said that was the reason why he responded to a recall on ex-servicemen by ex-President Rawlings in 1982, but had to be thrown out after serving only seven months through the connivance of his late brother and former President Rawlings, whom he referred to as his nephew.

He conceded that before his first discharge in 1974 after his experience in the Congo, he had problems of concentration that made him fall out of line with command during exercises even though he did not face any medical board.

Bishop Palmer-Buckle: "Do you have a taboo in your family concerning corpses?

Ex-Pte Agbotui: "Yes," he replied, adding that during the Congo operations, Ghanaian soldiers were tasked to collect human skeletons for reburial.

Uborr Dalaful Labal, another member of the Commission, said ex-Pte Agbotui needed help from his family to overcome his problem. "When I say help, I mean more than cedis and pesewas".

Professor Henrietta Mensa Bonsu, a Commissioner, said: "There seemed to be some big family problem that has to be resolved". "You can't carry this problem into your grave, I think the whole family needs to reconcile and I hope that the family can have peace after our intervention", she said.

General Emmanuel Erskine, a member of the Commission, advised ex-Pte Agbotui to contact the Veterans Association for help to address his problem.

He said the Armed Forces, as any other organisation, only did things according to rules and regulations by which it is governed.