Bodies of executed senior military officers to be handed over to families

The bodies of seven senior military officers executed in the wake of the June 4, 1979 coup will be handed over to their families on Thursday, December 27 for reburial.

A statement issued by the Ghana Armed Forces said the handing over would take place at the Presbyterian Church, 37 Military Hospital, at 9am. It said this would be followed by funeral service and reburial of two Generals at the Military Cemetery, Osu, on the same day.

The Generals and a Colonel were three former heads of state - Lt. Gen. Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa, General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong and General Frederick W.K. Akuffo.

The rest were Major General Emmanuel Utuka, Major General Robert Kotei, Rear Admiral Joy Amedume, Air Vice-Marshal Yaw Boakye and Colonel Roger Felli.

The government earlier this year set up a committee to examine the issue of reburial of the executed officers as part of its reconciliation measures. The graves were located and the bodies were exhumed and sent to the 37 Military Hospital for identification.

A statement issued by Air Marshall M.A. Otu, Chairman of the Committee that looked into the reburial of the Generals, said the families of five of the officers have formally requested to bury their loved ones in their respective hometowns.

They are:

1. Gen. Akuffo - Akropong

2. Gen. Acheampong - Kumasi

3. Gen. Afrifa - Krobo-Ashanti

4. Gen. Utuka - Likpe-Mate

5. Col. Felli - Navrongo