There is nothing good about military takeovers - Soldier tells NRC

Cape Coast, March 4, GNA - Ex- Sergeant Kweku Addai, a former soldier stationed at Takoradi, on Thursday told the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) that he was among soldiers, former President Jerry John Rawlings contacted in December 1981 to assist in the overthrow of Dr Hilla Limann's Government.
Ex-Sgt Addai, who said he joined the army in 1962 and witnessed the two coups staged before then, said he saw nothing good about military takeovers and, therefore, decided to report the matter to his commanding officer, one Brigadier Ayiku when Former President Rawlings sent one Cpl. Amoako to him at his base in Takoradi on the issue on December 23, 1981.
He intimated that he met The Former President the next day in Accra where the former Head of State promised him a house and four cars if he assisted, and when he was leaving, Former President Rawlings gave him 40 cedis to use as transport fare, adding that, on his return, he rushed to Brig. Ayiku and told him what transpired.
Ex-Sgt. Addai said Former President Rawlings said the People's National Party Leadership and all Ministers would be holding a dance on December 24, and that he planned to have them arrested during that time and announce the coup the following day.
According to him, all the soldiers who had been contacted by the Former President to assist in the upheaval were arrested "but surprisingly, Former President Rawlings, the architect of the plot, was left untouched".
He alleged that when the coup was finally staged on December 31, 1981, he was among soldiers that moved from Takoradi to Accra to counter it, and while they were engaged in exchanges with soldiers loyal to the Former President, a bullet graced his neck and this affected his left ear.
When the coup succeeded, the Ex- Sgt Addai said, he fled to Abidjan, where he was hospitalised and returned to Ghana in 2001 only to be served with a letter, which indicated that he was dismissed from the army on December 31, 1981.
Ex- Sgt. Addai, whose hearing in that ear has been impaired, asked the Commission to recommend his re-instatement in the army in order to be retired as a "loyal soldier with all honours befitting a soldier, who has defended the Constitution and the government of the day".
Mr Kwabena Kwenu, an Executive Member of the defunct People's Defence Committee (PDC) at Edumfa in the Central Region, during the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) Regime, said he and four others were invited to the Regional Administration at Cape Coast for interrogation in 1982 and after that they were manhandled by personnel of the Ghana Navy, resulting in the untimely death of one of his colleague, Benjamin Kingsley Prah.
The Former PDC Executive said there was shortage of soap in the country at that time, and the Executives, therefore, struck a compromise with a soap manufacturing company, Ameen Sangari Company in Cape Coast, which supplied them soap in exchange for foodstuffs.
He pointed out that the people in the area contributed the money they used to buy the foodstuffs, and when they brought the soap they sold it to the people at 12 cedis per bar after getting it from the Company at eight cedis, using the profit of four cedis realised on each bar to defray the cost of transportation.
Mr Kwenu said on one occasion, Navy personnel brought soap to the people of Batra, a village near Edumfa, but many people could not get some to buy, so the Executives decided to go and sell part of their consignment to them.
In the process the Navy personnel returned and seized the sales and asked their Chairman, one Mr Appiah to board their vehicle. Mr Kwenu said they sent the Chairman to Cape Coast but released him the following day and asked him to go and bring his colleagues the next day to meet the then PNDC Regional Secretary.
He said the five of them met the Regional Secretary and explained to him why they chose to sell the soap at that price. He became satisfied and asked them to go, but when they left his office, the Navy personnel called them and took them into the bush and ordered them to weed with their hands.
He said the Chairman was given a blunt cutlass to weed with. While they were weeding, the Navy man beat them with a stick. They were released that same day. Thereafter Prah was taken seriously ill and died shortly afterwards. 4 Mar. 04