Why General Afrifa took six bullets more than Acheampong, others during shooting of military generals

In his report on the shooting of the military generals in 1979, Joss Aryee who was a reporter with the Ghana News Agency then provided a vivid account of events that tells the horrific and shocking scenes at the Teshie Shooting Range on the day of the incident.

Joss Aryee who claims in his report that he was privy to information other reporters present at the scene did not have, gave an account of how the generals were transported to the scene and how arrant soldiers carried out the orders.

A feature of his perfectly-written report is the account of how General Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa took more bullets than the other Generals.

Per the report, after the round of shootings where every one of the lined-up soldiers died, General Afrifa let out a big shout that “I am not dead” which attracted more bullets from the soldiers.

“Hardly anyone saw the firing squad enter the tent. All attention was on the condemned officers. There was no audible order to fire, just a sudden ko-ko-ko-ko. From my vantage point just beside the point, I could the blood soaking through their dresses when the bullet hit.

“Then as suddenly as it has started, the firing stopped. A minute passed then General Afrifa started rising up and blood was streaming down his shoulders to the arm. He screamed “I am not dead, I am not dead,” he wrote.

He added that “A bearded officer, presumably a commander of the firing squad took out his pistol, walked towards General Afrifa to deliver the coup-de-grace. He had pain and agony written all over his face. The first shot missed and hit the sand bag. The second shot never came as the pistol jammed. The officer stood there confused.

“Another officer snatched an SMG from a nearby soldier and gave it to the first one. Ko-ko-ko, the shots were aimed at Afrifa’s head. Six shots later, he finally slammed down dead. A soldier standing beside was angry and said ‘why they for punish the man so? Wetin at all he do.”



Below is how the Washington post captured the event of June 27, 1979

Six senior military officers, including Ghana's former head of state Gen. Fred Akuffo, were executed here today by the country's new military government.

A government announcement said the six men died at dawn before a firing squad at the Ieshie military range outside this West African capital. Among them were Gen. A. A. Afrifa, who was Ghana's head of state from 1966-69, and former foreign minister Roger Felli.

It was the second round of executions of top military officers since Flight Lt. Jerry Rawlings and a group of junior Officers and privates overthrew the Akuffo government three weeks ago.

Former head of state Maj. Gen. Ignatius Acheampong and former border guard commander Maj. Gen. E. K. Utuka were executed by a firing squad 10 days ago.

Other officers executed today were Maj. Gen. R. E. A. Kotei, a former army commander, Air Vice Marshal George Yaw Boakey, a former air force chief, and Admiral Joy Amerdume, chief of the navy.