By Adiza Bawa
President Akufo-Addo has paid tribute to victims of the February 28th Christianborg Crossroads Shooting that precipitated the country’s struggle for independence.
Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey, all members of the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force, killed while the Regiment was going to present a petition to the then British Colonial Governor, Sir Gerald Creasy. The Ex-servicemen were presenting a petition to the Governor on their unpaid war benefits when they were stopped at the crossroads by a contingent of armed policemen.
The contingent, led by British Police Superintendent, Mr Colin Imray, ordered that they disperse and when they refused to obey the command, he gave an order to the Police to open fire and the three Ex-Servicemen were killed.
The Ex-soldiers had fought alongside the Allied Forces in the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force during the Second World War and had returned home poor and were not paid their gratuities.
President Akufo-Addo paying tribute said ”Ghanaians, as beneficiaries, can never forget the ultimate sacrifice of these great patriots and ex-servicemen men”.
”When 27 years ago today, the British Colonial Officer Superintendent Imray ordered the shooting of and personally shot a Christianburg crossroad, Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey.”
President Akufo-Addo described the killings as ”senseless”.
“The senseless killings led to widespread anger, disturbances and riots in Accra and around the country and coupled with the formation of the United Gold Coast Convention, UGCC of blessed memory, the first nationalist party of our country. The British Colonial authorities held the leaders of the UGCC, the legendary BIG SIX, J. B Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi Lamptey, Edward Akufo Addo, Ebenezer Ako Adjei, William Ofori Atta and Kwame Nkrumah, responsible for the riots and detained them. Thereafter, the Watson Commission under the chairmanship of the Scottish Solicitor was established to inquire into the circumstances of the riots and make appropriate recommendations for the future of the country”.
The situation encouraged anti-colonial movements to press the British government to institute a Committee to investigate the killings and the general disorder.
The Committee recommended self-government for the Gold Coast, which subsequently led to the attainment of political independence for the country on March 6, 1957.
