Bullet-Riddled Body, Sleeping Among the Dead: Boakye Agyarko recounts 1983 ordeal

Former Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko, has recounted a chilling experience of his arrest by soldiers near the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation during the 1983 Giwa coup d’état.

He recalled being forcibly bundled into an armored personnel carrier and driven to the Air Force station in Accra on the orders of an unknown senior military officer.

Upon his arrival, stricken with fear, he spotted his senior from secondary school, Captain George Partington, which momentarily gave him a sense of relief and hope. Calling out to him by his school nickname, "Alhaji," Agyarko was shocked when his former senior instead ordered the soldiers holding him to "go and make mincemeat out of him."

Boakye Agyarko, a stalwart of the New Patriotic Party, recounted that while being transported in a car to an unknown location, he began praying aloud in Krobo. Suddenly, a soldier in the front seat asked him if he was a Krobo, to which he responded, "yes." He further mentioned which part of Krobo Odumase he hailed from. At that moment, all the soldiers in the vehicle put their hands on their heads, exclaiming, "Oh God!" They had realized he was one of their own, but their dilemma was that they could not release him, as they were acting under strict orders.

Speaking on Asempa FM, Agyarko continued his account, stating that upon arrival at the Air Force station, he was lined up against a wall while soldiers conversed amongst themselves. A senior officer then approached and interrogated him. When asked his name, he replied, "Boakye Agyarko." The officer then shouted, "He is an Ashanti man—kill him!"

Unbeknownst to him, two soldiers had already aimed their guns at him. The moment the order was given, the soldiers fired, riddling his body with bullets. He recalled, "All six or eight bullets entered my body and exited through my back. I fell to the ground. But God was with me. When I fell, I crawled into a room, only to find it filled with dead bodies. As I lay there, helpless, a young man named Awuku, a former cleaner at Legon Hall who had joined the army, rushed to my aid. He removed my shirt and pressed it into the exit wounds to slow the bleeding. I remained there among the dead for a while. I was later told that 49 of us were shot that day, but I was the only survivor."

The wounded Agyarko was transported to the 37 Military Hospital mortuary. As his body was being tagged, he suddenly moved his leg. A nurse noticed the movement and realized he was still alive. He was quickly rushed out of the mortuary. He recounted, "All I remember is asking the nurse for her name, and she said, ‘Lily Tamakloe.’ I told her my mother’s name was Jane Agyarko and asked her to inform her about what had happened to me. But she assured me that I would be fine."

"When I was taken to the operating theater, I saw my classmate, the late Chester Annie, who was the doctor on duty. He called the surgeon, Dr. Akpaloo, who assessed my condition and said he dared not administer anesthesia, as I would not survive it. So, they performed surgery on me without anesthesia. When they finished, I was moved to the recovery ward. The instruction was that if I did not regain consciousness within a certain number of hours, I would be sent back to the mortuary. Fortunately, Major Oquaye, the wife of former Speaker of Parliament Prof. Mike Oquaye, was the head nurse on duty. She took excellent care of me, and when I regained consciousness, I was transferred to the ward."

"The next day, there was an order for soldiers to remove me from the hospital. Shockingly, another senior of mine, Patak Donkor, was among the cruel soldiers sent to take me away. I remained in the hospital for nearly three months, and my leg became virtually useless. Dr. Akpaloo warned me, 'As soon as I discharge you, get out of this country immediately. They will come for you again.' I wondered what crime I had committed to deserve such treatment."

With the assistance of the then-Chargé d'Affaires of the French Embassy, Agyarko was flown out of Ghana for further medical treatment in France. His sister later suggested that he be taken to the United States. In February 1984, he was admitted to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he underwent another surgery. "It took me a long time before I could walk again. For two years, I was not myself," he recounted.

What a story !!!

Charlie heartbreaking 💔 herrr. But God saves !!!🙏🏾pic.twitter.com/pDXchglzPB

— KELVIN OWUSU ANSAH (@TheKelOwusu) February 18, 2025