Afrifa's family demands compensation
By Awudu Salami Sule
The family of the late General Akwasi Amankwaah Afrifa, the
architects of Ghana’s first military coup that overthrew Dr.
Kwame Nkrumah’s CPP government, had revealed that, they are
yet to receive compensation of GHC80,000 from the state as
recommended by the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC).
General Afrifa was a
co-conspirator with General Kotoka who consummated the
February 24, 1966 coup against Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and was
one of the eight military officers who were executed
by firing squad under the AFRC regime which followed
the June 4 uprising.
According to Mrs Angelina Akua Afriyie, the niece of the
late General Afrifa and spokesperson to the family, all the
families of the former heads of state who were executed
during the regime of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council
(AFRC) had received their compansations as recommended by
the NRC. "But we are yet to receive ours", she revealed.
In an interview with the section of the media in Accra
yesterday,she alleged that, the former chief of staff, Mr
Kwadwo Mpiani was to be blamed for their inability to
receive their compensation. Mrs Angelina said, the family of
Afrifa at a point in time decided to meet the then President
Kuffour at the castle to inform him of their plight but they
were denied meeting him.
"Anytime we visit the castle, Mr Mpiani will give as an
excuse as to why we cant meet the President. Either he tells
us the President has travelled or the Attorney General is
not there and so we should come two weeks time. But nothing
has come out of it" she alleges.
Mrs Angelina has therefore made a passionate appeal to
President Mills to interven and pay the compensation to the
late Afrifa's family as recommended by the NRC.
General Afrifa was the chairman of the National Liberation
Council that replaced the CPP administration after the 1966
coup and later paved way for national elections in 1969
which brought to power the Progress Party government with Dr
Kofi Abrefa Busia as the Prime Minister Edward Akufo Addo as
President.
It was in the year 2002 however, when the NPP government set
up the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) to
investigate human rights abuses in post independent Ghana up
to 1993 and recommend appropriate redress for victims.
Ghanadot
