76th Christiansborg crossroads shooting anniversary commemorated

A wreath-laying and flag-raising ceremony has been held in honour of three ex-servicemen who were shot and killed by the colonial police in 1948.

They were on a peaceful march to the Osu Castle to present a petition over their unpaid allowances to the then British governor, Gerald Creasy.

The solemn ceremony which took place at the Freedom Monument, near the Independence Square at Osu in the Greater Accra Region yesterday, was graced by the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. Also present were some statesmen, the people of Osu, and leadership of the Ghana Armed Forces and sister security agencies.

A contingent of GAF and the Ghana Police Service, including veterans, marched to the venue to begin the anniversary celebration around 8:40a.m. 

Wreath laying

Dr Bawumia laid a wreath on behalf of the government and the people, while the Chief of Defence Staff, Major-General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, laid one for the security services.

The third wreath was laid by the Chairman of the Veterans Administration Ghana, Major-General Clayton Banuba Yaache (retd), on behalf of the veterans.

The Osu Alata Mantse, Nii Kwabena Boni V, also laid one on behalf of traditional authorities and communities, while Nii Cornelius Adjetey, a family member of Sergeant Adjetey, laid the final wreath on behalf of the fallen soldiers.

Background

A number of unarmed ex-servicemen on February 28, 1948, marched from Accra to the Christiansborg Castle to petition the then Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Sir Gerald Creasy, over their unpaid allowances when they were accosted at the Christiansborg crossroads by a contingent of armed policemen led by a British Superintendent, Imray, who ordered the ex-servicemen to disperse.

When his orders were disobeyed, Superintendent Imray gave another order to the police to open fire.

When the second order was also not complied with, Mr Imray fired at the ex-servicemen, killing Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey in the process.

The news about the death spread rapidly, leading to the breakdown of law and order in Accra and other parts of the country.

This incident encouraged anti-colonial movements to put pressure on the British government to set up a committee to investigate the killings and general disorder.

The committee recommended a self-government for the Gold Coast which subsequently led to the attainment of political independence for the country.