General News of Sunday, 16 August 2026

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Rare footage shows Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey’s remains exhumed in 1967

A screenshot of the footage A screenshot of the footage

Rare footage has emerged on social media showing the remains of Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, one of Ghana’s revered Big Six, being exhumed at Nsawam and later given a proper burial at the Osu Cemetery in Accra in 1967.

The historical footage shared on social media by Ghana Facts and History on August 15, 2026, captures the reburial of the prominent nationalist, who had died in detention at Nsawam Prison on January 29, 1963.

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Obetsebi-Lamptey was among the leading figures of Ghana’s independence struggle and became one of the six personalities popularly known as the Big Six.

He was detained by the government of then-President Kwame Nkrumah over alleged involvement in plots against the government.

He remained in detention until his death at Nsawam Prison in 1963.

Four years after his death, his remains were exhumed at Nsawam and taken to Accra, where he was given a proper burial at the Osu Cemetery in 1967.

The footage offers a glimpse into the solemn ceremony and provides a visual record of the final reburial of one of the country's most prominent independence-era figures.

Obetsebi-Lamptey, whose contribution to Ghana’s struggle for independence remains part of the country’s political history, was among the founders and leading figures of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC).

His political activities and opposition to colonial rule placed him at the centre of the nationalist movement that eventually led to Ghana attaining independence from British colonial rule on March 6, 1957.

The Big Six comprised Obetsebi-Lamptey, Kwame Nkrumah, Edward Akufo-Addo, JB Danquah, William Ofori Atta and Ebenezer Ako-Adjei.

The footage of Obetsebi-Lamptey’s exhumation and reburial therefore offers a rare historical window into how one of Ghana’s key independence figures was honoured years after his death.

See the video below:



JKB/VPO

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