"I Was Jailed 105 Yrs By AFRC Kangaroo Court"

A retired army officer, Lt. Col. Gabriel Korku Amevor has said he was convicted and sentenced to one hundred and five years in jail by the AFRC Kangaroo Court without any reason in 1979.

Appearing before the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) yesterday, Lt. Col. Amevor who was the then Commissioner for the Volta Region under the SMC II regime, said he served six years out of his sentence and had his assets confiscated.

Walking with the help of a walking stick in his right hand, the retired officer said his house, animal and crop farms were seized by soldiers while his new Mercedes Benz was given to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said he petitioned Flt. Lt. Rawlings after his release and his house and farms were de-confiscated but not the vehicle. He petitioned the commission to help him retrieve his vehicle and also receive compensation for his troubles.

He said his unlawful arrest and incarceration have caused his family much inconvenience adding that his children could have been killed by soldiers but for some Catholic priests who kept them away. He thanked the Catholic Church for bringing his children secretly from Ho to Accra to save their lives.

The man who supervised the smooth traffic changeover from left to right hand drive in the country under the directorship of Lt. Gen. Erskine, a member of the commission said during the 1979 uprising he mobilised troops at Ho to resist it but the move was dropped to avert bloodshed.

He said soldiers from Accra came and took him away to the Signals Guardroom at Burma Camp. He appeared before the Preliminary Investigation Committee (PIT) headed by Capt. Mitchell. He said because his file contained only his name, the PIT could not try him. To his surprise he said his assistant at the Regional Administration, Capt. Ocansey, told the committee that the people of Ho wanted him killed as such an action would make the uprising complete.

He said he was taken to the Air Force Guardroom where he met the late Siaw of Tata Breweries and Capt. Darko of the Recce Regiment. One fateful night he went on one Flying Officer Okai who was known as "Messenger of Death" came and sent him to the Kangaroo Court at the Peduase Lodge. He said those trying him were behind a screen and within five minutes he was convicted and sentenced to one hundred and five years in jail and his assets confiscated.

Another witness who was also a retired army officer, Lt. Col. Albert Narh Tetteh said the background of candidates should be investigated thoroughly before they are commissioned into the officer corps. He said the June 4 uprising by junior officers is the source of the indiscipline, which has eaten deep into the Ghanaian society.

He called on Ghanaians to be ready to defend the constitution at any point in time and never allow such an act to happen again. He said he was on retirement when the uprising occurred but was working at the Castle on contract. He said a radio announcement was made that "all officers who have nothing to hide" should report themselves. After complying with the directive he was detained at a Guardroom for three weeks during which he was shaved with blunt razor blades and transferred to the Nsawam Prison after which he was given a form to declare his assets and later taken to face the PIT. He said while he was being interrogated junior officers who were standing behind him kept on slapping him.

Dressed in a smart political suit, he said he was convicted and sentenced to thirty five years in prison by the Kangaroo Court and his assets confiscated to the state. He said they termed the court a Kangaroo Court because they held their ears and hopped on their way to the panel.

After serving five and a half years of his sentence he was released. He said his account was frozen and called on the commission to compensate him.

The last witness to be heard by the commission yesterday was, Mr. Solomon Ankrah who wants the commission to investigate who killed and burnt his father in 1979. He said his father was a businessman in Ho and one night soldiers came for him under the pretext of having him assist them in an investigation..

Mr. Ankrah who broke down in the middle of his narration could hardly be heard at the press gallery. He said they combed the whole Ho township and made calls to the Gondar Barracks in Accra to search for his father but to no avail. After lodging a formal complaint at the Ho Police Station they were later told the charred body of his father was seen in a bush. Asked how they got to know that it was his father he said they recognised his beads and the dress he was wearing on the day of his arrest.

Asked whether he knows the perpetrators of the heinous crime he told the counsel, "the mystery remains unsolved still, My Lord."

Hearing continues today