Stories and facts

On a tense morning of January 2, 1964, in Accra, Police Constable Seth Ametewee walked up to President Kwame Nkrumah's car with a pistol hidden under his uniform. Nkrumah was out for his daily walk along the coast when Ametewee got close and fired.​

The bullet missed the president but hit his bodyguard, Salifu Dagarti, right in the chest. Dagarti fell protecting Nkrumah, and he died soon after from the wound. Ametewee tried to run but was grabbed by security on the spot.

Ametewee confessed during questioning, naming links to opposition leaders like J.B. Danquah and others unhappy with Nkrumah's rule. Danquah got arrested six days later, on January 8, under the Preventive Detention Act, as police found papers that looked like a victory speech ready for broadcast if the plot worked.​

This attack came after earlier tries on Nkrumah's life, like the 1962 Kulungugu bomb. It showed how deep the divides ran between Nkrumah's CPP and old UGCC foes in young Ghana.

Ametewee went on trial and was hanged for murder. The event ramped up Nkrumah's security and crackdowns, locking up more rivals. Danquah stayed in Nsawam Prison until he died in 1965. The close call marked a dark turn before the 1966 coup ended Nkrumah's time in power.

Explore other historical narratives about Kwame Nkrumah in the collection.