Ex-Able Seaman Edward Somua Adofo, Tuesday alleged that he was shot thrice in the leg, neck and stomach when he tried to prevent armed military men from entering the residence of the late Real Admiral Joy Amedume during the June 4, uprising.
He said as a result of the gunshot his intestines gushed out and he fell unconscious in a pool of blood, adding that his colleagues who concluded he was dead performed his funeral when he was recovering at the 37 Military Hospital.
"On my return home from the hospital after about 10 weeks I went to my home town and those who saw me initially ran away because they thought I was a ghost," he said.
Adofo said during his seven years and 138 days service with the navy, he was detailed to guard the late Real Admiral Amedume's residence, adding that on the June 4, 1979 armed military men attacked the residence and gave warning shots.
He said he and his six colleagues on guard at the time were posted at vantage points in the house and he was put in charge of the gate so he opened the gate to talk to the soldiers.
Adofo said the soldiers asked to be permitted in but he sought their mission, adding that on questioning them he was given a shot in his leg, but he kept standing and would not allow them in.
"In the course of our encounter I was given another shot in my neck then in my stomach and my intestines gushed out," he said. "That was when I started losing consciousness and I prayed for God to save my life for me to serve him."
He said he sought for one of his colleagues to give a verbal will to be given to his family but all of them abandoned him to his fate till he fell unconscious.
Adofo said he woke up after four weeks and realised he was in a hospital bed at the 37 military hospital with stitches all over his body and tubes in his anus and neck for passing out faeces and for eating.
He said after 10 weeks in the hospital he was discharged and he left for his hometown where he discovered to his amazement that he had been reported dead and his funeral had been performed weeks ago.
"Later I went back to the naval base and none of my officers and my colleagues mentioned anything about my ordeal, as if they were not aware that I had suffered anything," he said.
He said in the course of time he asked for excuse duty to attend to his health, adding that when it was granted he left the barracks for home to be with his wife and children to receive adequate care because the barracks apartments were designed for individuals and not for families.
Adofo said on his return from the house to the barracks he was accused of Absence Without Official Leave (AWOL), which was punishable by summary dismissal, adding that he was on that grounds discharged on October 2, 1981.
"In my discharge book I was given a fitting testimonial except that the testimonial stated that I was discharged on medical grounds and that has since worked against me in my attempts to seek employment elsewhere, he said.
He said he was given his gratuity of about 25,000 cedis, adding that he has since not worked for a salary. Adofo said he has become an Evangelist and a driver at the same time and has six children.
Bishop Charles Palmer-Buckle and Maulvi Wahab Adam took Adofo to the private room and observed his three gun shot wounds.
On their return, Bishop Palmer-Buckle said there were about 3.5 inch scars each on his leg and neck and about 10 inch scars each on his abdomen and waist, adding that the scars on his abdomen were also about four millimetres deep.
Adofo said he had long forgiven his persecutors but anytime he saw his scars, or met military men in uniform or heard firecrackers during Christmas, he is reminded of his ordeal.
Bishop Palmer-Buckle said the trauma of Adofo is a good reason why the Commission was necessary, "because in spite of his Christian faith he is still traumatised anytime he sees his scar, military men in uniform or hear firecrackers."
He said the counselling session of the Commission was committed to helping people like Adofo to go over the trauma once and for all.
In another case, Mr. Julius Nii Boye Hammond, told the Commission that he was wrongfully dismissed with about 380 people from the Ghana Post and Telecommunication Service on December 6, 1984 without cause.
He said he was denied his End of Service Benefit )ESB) and has therefore, been living on charity from his church, the Church of the Living God since the dismissal.
Hammond said though he was living in hardship he has accumulated his social security benefit for his funeral to ease the burden of funeral expenses on his children.
He appealed to the Commission to ensure that he was either reinstated or given his ESB to make ends meet.
