Capt Prince Kofi Amoabeng is the founder of the defunct UT Bank
Capt. Prince Kofi Amoabeng (rtd) recalled a moment of near-murder on his life not long after he left the Ghana Armed Forces in May 1982 (officially discharged in May 1983).
And on why he left the Army, he wrote in his book that it was due to his disagreement with the coup that had been undertaken in the country, led by Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings – an officer he knew casually.
He added that he could no longer serve in the force because the Army had become nebulous, and there was an incident that happened much later after leaving that confirmed this worry he had.
At the time, there was an existing curfew in the country, and in an attempt to beat the time one day, Capt Kofi Amoabeng said he had to speed his way home.
“Unfortunately, the excesses of the coup were more ubiquitous than I had imagined. There were curfews from 6pm to 6am. It was revised to from 8pm to Gam, and then 10pm to 6am. Then it reverted to 6pm to 6am.
“The PNDC did whatever they wanted with our lives. Like school children in a boarding school, we stayed indoors when they told us to, and came out only when they told us we could. If you dared disobey, you incurred the wrath of trigger-happy soldiers who prowled the streets in the night in search of hapless victims on whom they visited all kinds of unspeakable atrocities.
“It was on one of those curfew nights, I was driving at breakneck speed trying to beat the curfew. I sped from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle through the Ring Road towards my residence at Nungua. I was overtaking and weaving in-between cars in my BMW 3 series vehicle,” he wrote in Volume 1 of his book, The UT Story: Humble Beginnings.
Capt Prince Kofi Amoabeng then noticed something in that moment; a car tailing him.
He explained that eventually – after he had pulled over for the car, he realized it was a familiar face and so he got relaxed.
But what he thought was going to be, perhaps, a brief reunion, nearly became the end of his life.
“Suddenly I realized that a vehicle behind me was flashing its headlights desperately at me. I could not make out who it was. And because I did not want to risk an unruly coup maker shooting at me, I pulled over to the side of the road in front of Caesar's Palace around the Danquah Roundabout.
“No sooner had I stopped than the vehicle, a white Peugeot 504, carelessly screeched to a halt in front of me. Who is this crazy dude? I thought.
“WO Agyei Boadi, of the GAF Fire Service Department stepped out of the vehicle. We knew each other well. My mess, Signal Mess, was located just across the street from the fire station where he was stationed. So, once I realized it was him, I became relaxed. ’Commander, it's me,’ I said in deference to him, well aware that he was a prominent member of the PNDC. ‘Is there a problem?’
“’You people want to kill me, but before I die some of you will die!’ he yelled at me. Thinking he was mistaking me for someone else, I looked him straight in the eye and said, ‘It's me, Captain Amoabeng.’
"’Yes, I know it's you!’ he yelled. ‘Some of the enemies are in the Armed Forces!’ Then I realized he was brandishing a pistol at me. His erratic behaviour confounded me. Why was he talking to me in that manner? And why was he brandishing a weapon at me?
“I quickly raised my hands in surrender, ‘I'm unarmed. What's wrong with you?’ And then he fired the pistol POW! Just then, some officious bystanders rushed quickly and shielded me from him. Even his personal body guard also stepped between him and me. The bystanders bungled me into my car and urged, ‘Drive! Go! Go!’ I drove off hurriedly. I was totally confused.
“When I got to The Advent Press junction and slowed down to negotiate the bend, I realized a vehicle behind me was flashing its lights at me. I pulled over and waited in my car.
“It was the bystanders who had intervened between me and WO Agyei Boadi. They stepped out of their vehicle and walked towards me. They informed me that after I left, WO Agyei Boadi slapped them a couple of times for rescuing me. ”’Rescuing me?’
"’Yes Captain, he almost killed you. You were lucky he missed.’
But Agyei Boadi only fired a warning shot for whatever reason I cannot fathom. So, what are these guys talking about? I wondered.
"’Please step out of the car,’ they said, when they realized my confusion. I obliged. They pointed at the driver's side of the door where apparently the bullet had entered. It was close to where I was standing when Agyei Boadi fired the gun. My mind began to wander: was Agyei Boadi really trying to kill me? Why? And how did he miss from such close range? Suddenly I began to tremble. He could've killed me! It took me a while to calm down and regain my composure.”
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