Colonel Agbeko laid to rest

The mortal remains of Colonel Peter Mama Agbeko, 85 and the first Ghanaian Lawyer to be commissioned into the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) on March 17, 1961, was interred at Osu Military Cemetery at the weekend.

The burial ceremony was preceded by a funeral service, at St Catherine Catholic Church at Burma Camp, which was parked to capacity by present and past serving military officers, including Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, former Head of State, and General Joseph Henry Smith, past Minister of Defence and Chief of Defence Staff of GAF, as well as friends and sympathizers.

As the casket draped in the national colours amidst military honours was being escorted to the cemetery, the main Burma Camp road was choked with traffic as the number of vehicles that carried mourners to the church service was more than the vehicular movement the facility was designed for.

On Sunday there was a thanksgiving service at the Reverend Kwesi Dickson Methodist Church also in Accra. Born on April 25, 1929, Col Agbeko joined the GAF with identification number GH 178. He was also the first Director of Legal Services.

He gained admission at St Augustine in 1945 and due to ill health, he continued with his secondary education at Accra Academy and completed in 1950. He was employed at Texas Oil Company as an Account’s Clerk, but left in protest of racism and joined Gold Coast Express newspaper as a Reporter.

He later tried his hands as architectural draughtsman, but left for England where he studied law. He was called to the Degree of the Utter Bar at the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple in May 1960. Col Agbeko enrolled as Barrister-at-Law and Solicitor at the Supreme Court of Ghana in October, 1960.

He also served as Honourary Counsel and Attorney-at-Law in the United States Court of Military Appeals. In March 1983, Real Admiral Kevin Dzang, the incumbent Minister of Defence invited Col Agbeko to take an assignment involving veterans.

This led to the establishment of the Agbeko Committee with the primary objective to collect and evaluate proposals for the formation of the Veterans Association of Ghana. Col Agbeko was on duty tour in Namibia from 1992-1999, where he served as the Special Legal Advisor on Civic Affairs to the local government.

From 1997-1998, he served as the President of the Rotary Club of Windhoek-AUAS. Col Agbeko was honourably released from the GAF in 1980 at the age of 51. Flt Lt Rawlings, described Col Agbeko as one of the finest officers, he had the privilege and honour of knowing.

“Col Agbeko epitomised the values of mutual respect and affection- a calm disciplinarian, a tower of strength, a man of integrity and a role model, who stood tall above the declining socio-economic situation prevailing then.

Flt lt Rawlings said: “Col Agbeko you served the Armed Forces and this country with dignity. Your noble disposition was like the light of a candle in the night. You gave us hope without words and through you we knew we could triumph over evil.” Col Agbeko was survived by Gloria and seven children, 11 grand-children and one great grant child