Stories and facts

On 9 August 1963, an assassination attempt on President Kwame Nkrumah in the northern border town of Kulungugu sent shockwaves across Ghana’s political landscape. The President had travelled to the area as part of an official visit when a bomb exploded close to where he stood. Although Nkrumah survived, the attack deepened the climate of suspicion that had been steadily growing within his government and the ruling Convention People’s Party (CPP).

In the hours that followed, three of the President’s close associates found themselves at the centre of the storm. Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, the Foreign Minister; Tawia Adamafio, Minister of Information and Broadcasting; and H. H. Cofie-Crabbe, Executive Secretary of the CPP, were taken into custody.

Their arrest was linked to claims that they had travelled to the event in vehicles far behind Nkrumah’s convoy, which party loyalists pointed to as evidence of questionable conduct. Whether rooted in genuine suspicion or political calculation, these claims paved the way for a case that would become one of the most controversial in Ghana’s early post-independence history.

The trial that followed initially offered a glimmer of judicial independence. Presided over by Chief Justice Sir Arku Korsah, the court acquitted all three men for lack of evidence. This outcome, however, was short-lived. Dissatisfied with the verdict, Nkrumah dismissed Korsah and ordered a retrial under a specially appointed panel. The new court delivered a starkly different judgment, finding the accused guilty and sentencing them to death.

The sentences were eventually commuted to 20 years’ imprisonment, but the damage to reputations and public confidence in the justice system was already done.

The political fallout extended beyond the courtroom. In the aftermath of the incident, the government strengthened the Preventive Detention Act, increasing the period of detention without trial from 24 hours to 28 days. Critics saw this as a sign of deepening authoritarianism, while supporters argued it was a necessary safeguard in an atmosphere where threats to the state were seen as ever-present. International commentary at the time reflected unease about the concentration of power in the hands of a leader who had already secured a presidency without term limits.

When Nkrumah’s government was overthrown in February 1966, the three men were released from prison. Freedom, however, did not restore their former positions or influence. Ako-Adjei, once one of the leading figures in Ghanaian politics, withdrew entirely from public life and never returned to political office.

For many Ghanaians, the Kulungugu episode remains a potent example of how moments of crisis can be used to consolidate power, reshape political alliances, and challenge the boundaries of justice in a young democracy.

Navigate the collection below to gain more insights into other historic political events to have happened in Ghana.