The brutal murder of three High Court Judges, Justices Cecilia Koranteng Addow, Kwadwo Agyei Agyapong and Fred Poku Sarkodie, and a retired army officer, Major Sam Acquah, on June 30, 1982, remains one of the darkest stains on Ghana’s political and legal history.
These respected citizens were abducted during curfew hours and later found lifeless and burnt at Bundase along the Accra-Aflao Road. This horrifying act shook the very foundation of Ghana’s judiciary and democracy.
The killings represented a calculated attack on justice and the rule of law.
The country was under the rule of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings.
The military regime was quick to distance itself from the murders, but suspicions have always lingered around powerful figures who served in that administration.
These assassinations were symbolic. They were intended to intimidate and silence voices of dissent within the judiciary and society.
The tragedy was not just that they died, but that they died in such a barbaric and politically charged manner.
Forty-three years later, the nation still struggles with the weight of this event.
Despite convictions and executions of some lower-level accomplices, many Ghanaians believe that full justice was never served.
The masterminds behind the crime were never held accountable, and those who are still alive continue to live freely.
Reflections on this episode are crucial. Ghana cannot continue to bury its painful past without learning from it.
True national healing requires truth and accountability.
Families of the victims and indeed the whole country deserve the complete truth about what happened and why it happened.
A country that truly values freedom and justice must protect defenders of the truth.
The events of that tragic night should be taught in our schools.
The story must not fade into silence.
The best way to honour Justices Koranteng Addow, Agyei Agyapong, Sarkodie and Major Acquah is to protect what they stood for: truth, justice, and courage.
Ghana must never forget.
The moment we do, we risk walking again down a path we once swore never to tread.
Stephen Bernard Donkor,
2024 Best Graduating Student in Journalism, UniMAC-IJ
E-mail: sbdonkorjunior@gmail.com
