Stories and facts
In January 1964, Ghana was still reeling from a dramatic event that had unfolded just days earlier. On January 2, 1964, President Kwame Nkrumah narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at the Flagstaff House, the seat of government.
The attempt was made by Police Constable Seth Ametewee, who had been recently assigned to duty there. The incident resulted in the tragic death of Nkrumah's security guard, Salifu Dagarti, who shielded the president from harm.
The failed assassination attempt marked the fifth time Nkrumah had faced such a threat, reflecting the volatile political climate of the time. This event heightened security measures across the country, leading to increased surveillance of potential opponents of the president.
The video below highlights the heroic sacrifice of Salifu Dagarti, the loyal bodyguard who shielded Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, from an assassination attempt on January 2, 1964.
Against this backdrop, on January 8, 1964, Joseph Boakye Danquah, a key figure in Ghana's independence movement and leader of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), was re-arrested and detained under the Preventive Detention Act.
Danquah's re-arrest was linked to allegations of his involvement in the assassination plot, with claims that he had prepared a handwritten speech intended for broadcast if the attempt had succeeded.
This revelation fueled suspicions of his complicity, despite his previous pardon by Nkrumah nearly two years prior. The investigation into the assassination attempt also uncovered other intriguing details.
Testimonies from members of the police band suggested that a leading opposition politician had persuaded them to shoot Kwame Nkrumah during a performance at Flagstaff House.
The politician in question was believed to be J.B. Danquah, as many other opposition figures were either abroad, plotting with foreign agencies, or already detained under the PDA (Preventive Detention Act).
Despite being interrogated and initially cleared by the former Head of the Special Branch of Ghana Police Service, John William Kofi Harlley, J.B. Danquah was detained again and remained in prison until his death on February 4, 1965.
The events surrounding Danquah's detention reflect Ghana's complex and often contentious political landscape during Nkrumah's rule. Both Danquah and Nkrumah remain polarising figures in Ghana's history.
Their legacies are marked by significant contributions to the nation's independence and development, as well as controversies and political tensions.
Watch how Kwame Nkrumah's potential assassin Police Constable Seth Ametewee was sent to trial in March 1964.
