On January 2, 1964, a shocking assassination attempt was made on the life of Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, by his own security guard, Police Constable Seth Ametewee, at the Flagstaff House. This was the fourth attempt on Nkrumah’s life.

While the attack failed to kill Nkrumah, the president’s loyal security officer, Chief Superintendent Salifu Dagarti, tragically lost his life as he shielded the president from the gunfire.

This story was originally published on GhanaWeb on November 12, 2023. Read it below:

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, is often remembered as a leader who survived numerous assassination attempts during his time in office.

According to Nkrumah’s autobiography ‘Dark Days in Ghana’, there were at least six known attempts on his life.

“Members of the Police and the Special Branch have been involved in each of the six attacks made on my life, and have frequently ignored, and sometimes aided, the activities of people they knew were plotting to overthrow the government,” part of Nkrumah’s book is quoted.

The article narrated that one of Nkrumah's attacks was by his own security guard, Police Constable Seth Ametewee, at the then seat of government, the Flagstaff House, on Thursday, January 2, 1964.

“The time was about 1:15 pm and the setting was the courtyard of the seat of the Government of Ghana, the Flagstaff House. In the company of two security guards and his aide de camp (ADC), Salifu Dagarti, President Nkrumah was about moving from the Flagstaff House to the Christiansborg (Osu) Castle for lunch.

“Police Constable Ametewee, who was on guard duty at the Flagstaff House shot at President Nkrumah four (4) times when the President was moving towards his car. Four gunshots at the President by no other person but a Police Officer assigned to guard the presidential office? This gory act resonates with the Shakespearean assertion that goes,” part of the article reads.

Amid the chaos, Nkrumah’s driver was nowhere to be found and the two guides, including his Aide-De-Camp (ADC), who were with him took cover behind his vehicle.

He fired at Nkrumah once again, when the late former president stood up to understand what was happening, but Superintendent Salifu, the ADC, intervened and took the bullet for the president in his head which killed him instantly.

"Constable Ametewee, who was appointed a presidential guard some few days ago, fired again but his gun failed and the president started crying for help but the armed police officers and senior government officials at the scene made no move. One official was reported to have remarked, 'They’ve bungled it again'.”

Nkrumah then started running for cover which led to him finding the Flagstaff House kitchen where the famous fight took place.

“Ametewee had bitten the President’s cheek and the President also kicked Ametewee in the groin and Ametewee became unconscious momentarily,” parts of the article reads.

It added, “It was only at this stage that other police officers intervened, knocking out Ametewee and he laid on the floor of the kitchen of the Flagstaff House. He was then placed under arrest.”

Constable Ametewee was sentenced to death by the Criminal Session of the High Court in Accra, for the murder of Supt Salifu and the attempt to kill the president.

However, the Supreme Court overturned the death sentence of Ametewee after it ruled that his intention was not to kill Salifu; saying, “If a person does an act with the intent to kill…and his act happens to take effect, whether completely or incompletely, against a different person, he shall be liable to be tried and punished as if his intent has been directed against that different person…”

One of the big six, JB Danquah, died in prison after he was detained for allegedly bribing Ametewee to kill Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

MAG/EB