Kojo Tsikata (1936 – 20 November 2021) was a Ghanaian military officer and politician, who served as the Head of National Security and Foreign Affairs of the
Provisional National Defence Council
The Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was the name of the Ghanaian government after the People's National Party's elected government was overthrown by Jerry Rawlings, the former head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, in a coup ...
(PNDC).
He was listed as a retired army captain in the
Ghana Army
The Ghana Army (GA) is the main ground warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). In 1959, two years after the Gold Coast obtained independence as Ghana, the Gold Coast Regiment was withdrawn from the Royal West Af ...
.
Early life and education
Tsikata was born in 1936. He attended
Achimota School
Achimota School ( /ɑːtʃimoʊtɑː/ ), formerly Prince of Wales College and School at Achimota, later Achimota College, now nicknamed Motown, is a co-educational boarding school located at Achimota in Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana. The school wa ...
for his secondary education. One of his student colleagues was
Obed Asamoah
Obed Yao Asamoah (born 6 February 1936) is a Ghanaian lawyer, academic and politician. Asamoah was the longest serving foreign minister and Attorney General of Ghana under Jerry Rawlings from 1981 to 1997. Asamoah was educated at King's Coll ...
who later became the longest serving
Minister for Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...
in Ghana. While there, he was influenced by a recruitment drive to join the
Ghana Army
The Ghana Army (GA) is the main ground warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). In 1959, two years after the Gold Coast obtained independence as Ghana, the Gold Coast Regiment was withdrawn from the Royal West Af ...
after completing his secondary education. He was sent to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
where he attended the officer cadet course at the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...
.
Biography
Tsikata was very keen on the pan-African ideas of Kwame Nkrumah and others. Together with Obed Asamoah, they were ready to go fight in the
Algerian war of independence
The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...
but were dissuaded by
Frantz Fanon
Frantz Omar Fanon (, ; ; 20 July 1925 – 6 December 1961), also known as Ibrahim Frantz Fanon, was a French West Indian psychiatrist, and political philosopher from the French colony of Martinique (today a French department). His works have be ...
who was the representative of the Algerian government in exile in Ghana.
Tsikata was sent to the
Congo with
Major General Ankrah as part of a Ghanaian military contingent with orders from
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...
to protect the Pan-Africanist and anti-neocolonialist
Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Émery Lumumba (; 2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic of the Congo) from June u ...
, who was the Prime Minister.
In 1964, he was in
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
where he joined
MPLA
The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola ( pt, Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola, abbr. MPLA), for some years called the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola – Labour Party (), is an Angolan left-wing, social d ...
fighters and internationalist fighters from
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
.
He continued to serve there supporting liberation movements until the overthrow of the
Nkrumah government
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the first Prime Minister and first President of Ghana. Nkrumah had run governments under the supervision of the British government through Charles Arden-Clarke, the Governor-General. His first government under colonial r ...
by the
National Liberation Council
The National Liberation Council (NLC) led the Ghanaian government from 24 February 1966 to 1 October 1969. The body emerged from a ''coup d'état'' against the Nkrumah government carried out jointly by the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Armed For ...
(NLC) military government. The Special Branch of the security services under the NLC declared Tsikata a wanted person in March 1967 in line with an important investigation. He was reported to have been in
Brazzaville
Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...
, in
Conakry
Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its p ...
in 1966 and last seen in
Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
in November 1966.
He fell out with the officers who overthrew Kwame Nkrumah and stayed in exile until the military handed over power to the civilian government of
Kofi Abrefa Busia
Kofi Abrefa Busia (born 11 July 1913 – 28 August 1978) was a Ghanaian political leader and academic who was Prime Minister of Ghana from 1969 to 1972. As a nationalist leader and prime minister, he helped to restore civilian government to the ...
.
He visited Conakry,
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
, to see Nkrumah. He was arrested, detained, and put on death row as a suspect of an assassination plot against Nkrumah on his arrival.
Samora Machel
Samora Moisés Machel (29 September 1933 – 19 October 1986) was a Mozambican military commander and political leader. A socialist in the tradition of Marxism–Leninism, he served as the first President of Mozambique from the country's ...
, a freedom fighter and later president of
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
, intervened to get him pardoned. Samora travelled with him back to Mozambique.
In 1976, he was arrested together with others for attempting to overthrow the
National Redemption Council
The National Redemption Council (NRC) was the ruling Ghana military government from 13 January 1972 to 9 October 1975. Its chairman was Colonel I. K. Acheampong, who was thus also the head of state of Ghana.
Duration of rule
The NRC came into po ...
(NRC) military government led by
Colonel Kutu Acheampong. That plot became known as the "One Man One Matchet" coup. His code-name mentioned during the trial was "gbagbladza" which is cockroach in the
Ewe language
Ewe (''Eʋe'' or ''Eʋegbe'' ) is a language spoken by approximately 20 million people in West Africa, mainly in Ghana, Togo and Benin, and also in some other countries like Liberia and southwestern Nigeria. Ewe is part of a cluster of related ...
. Others arrested with him were Victor Latzoo, a retired lieutenant in the Ghana Army, Staff Sergeant Godfried K. Amereka, Warrant Officer H. Raphael Nyatepeh, Captain Gustav K. Banini, Corporal John Gbeeze, Francis Agboada and Michael Hamenoo. The leader Brigadier Khattah whose code-name during the plot was "Amega" meaning "Boss" in Ewe escaped arrest. Tsikata chose to defend himself without counsel and pointed out contradictions in the evidence provided against him.
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
raised concerns about the trial and the torture of Tsikata and others. Tsikata, Staff Sergeant Godfried Amereka, Warrant Officer Raphael Nyatepeh, Francis Agboada and Michael Hamenoo were sentenced to death. Two others were sentenced to eighteen years in jail.
During the rule of the
Limann government
This is a listing of the ministers who served in Limann's People's National Party government during the Third Republic of Ghana. The Third Republic was inaugurated on 24 September 1979. It ended with the coup on 31 December 1981, which brought t ...
, Tsikata found himself under open surveillance by the country's security agencies. Wilhelm Harrison Buller, a British Honduran national and friend of Tsikata was arrested at the residence of
Jerry Rawlings
Jerry John Rawlings (22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the de ...
for overstaying his visa. He was accused of working to destabilise Ghana's constitutional order and was deported. He was accused of collaborating with Tsikata,
Tsatsu Tsikata
Tsatsu Tsikata (born on 1 October 1950) is a Ghanaian academic and lawyer. He is also a former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation. He is a notable affiliate and legal counsel to the National Democratic Congress and reg ...
and
Brigadier Arnold Quainoo, an accusation which was denied by all three. As the saga continued, Tsikata took about nineteen intelligence officers to the High Court suing for harassment. The court found in his favour, stating that his human rights could only be violated for compelling reasons and granted him damages. This did not stop entirely and Tsikata ended up escaping to exile in
Lomé
Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437 , capital of Togo
Role in government
He was appointed Special Adviser in 1982 under the
Provisional National Defence Council
The Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was the name of the Ghanaian government after the People's National Party's elected government was overthrown by Jerry Rawlings, the former head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, in a coup ...
(PNDC) government led by Jerry Rawlings.
He had been in charge of national security since 1982. He also served as a member of the
Council of State of Ghana.
In July 1985, he was appointed as a substantive member of the PNDC in charge of National Security and Foreign Affairs. He is credited with the setting up of the security network which ensured the survival of the PNDC.
In 1995, he was asked to join a negotiating team to help restore peace to
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
during the
First Liberian Civil War
The First Liberian Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997.
President Samuel Doe had established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The Nat ...
. With him were
Mohamed Ibn Chambas
Mohamed Ibn Chambas (born 7 December 1950 in Bimbilla, Ghana) is a Ghanaian lawyer, diplomat, politician and academic Ghana who has served as an international civil servant since 2006. He last served as the United Nations Special Representative ...
who was the then Deputy Foreign Minister, and Brigadier General Agyemfra, accompanied by Harry Mouzillas from the Ghana News Agency as a journalist to cover the events. They travelled to join
James Victor Gbeho
James Victor Gbeho (born 12 January 1935, in Keta, Ghana) is a Ghanaian lawyer and diplomat who was President of the ECOWAS Commission from 2010 to 2012, to which position he was unanimously elected at the 37th Summit of the Authority of Heads o ...
, the Resident Representative of then Chairman of the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings and Mr Ate Allotey, a diplomat.
He was appointed by
Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
to a senior advisory position in charge of the Al Mathaba central committee, a support centre for the liberation movement and anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist organisations.
Ghana USA relations
During 1985 while he was Head of National Security, a
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
spy ring organised by the CIA to help overthrow the PNDC government was disrupted in what became known as the
Sharon Scranage espionage scandal. This was done using Michael Soussoudis, a Ghanaian national resident in the United States, to induce Sharon Scranage, a United States citizen working at their embassy in
Accra
Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
at the time, to pass on the names of Ghanaians working for the CIA according to information declassified in 2011.
The murder of the three high court judges
A retired supreme court judge, Justice
G. E. K. Aikins, intimated that Captain Tsikata was implicated in the kidnapping and murder of three high court judges and a retired army officer on 30 June 1983 during the PNDC regime and was never tried. Among the suspects were Captain Kojo Tsikata and
Sergeant Aloga Akata-Pore, both key members of the then PNDC.
Ghanaians brought Tsikata under scrutiny, but during the
National Reconciliation Commission The National Reconciliation Commission was established in January 2002 by the Parliament of Ghana. The goal of the commission was to establish an "accurate, complete and historical record of violations and abuses of human rights inflicted on persons ...
(NRC) hearing he denied being involved with the killing of the judges.
The Special Investigation Board (SIB) stated unequivocally that Kojo Tsikata was the mastermind behind the abduction and killing of the three high court judges and the retired army officer. One reason was that, before the execution of the sole witness, he withdrew his accusation against Captain Tsikata.
Joachim Amartey Quaye
Joachim Amartey Quaye was a Ghanaian politician. He was found guilty of involvement in the murder of four Ghanaian citizens and executed by a firing squad in 1982.
Politics
Amartey Quaye was one of the original seven members of the Provisional N ...
, one of the architects of the murderous incident, was imprisoned and some soldiers, Tekpor, Dzandzu, and Helki, were all found guilty of murder, sentenced to death, and executed by firing squad.
One of the convicted, Amedeka, escaped prison and has not been seen since.
Tsikata appeared before the National Reconciliation Commission set up by the
Kufuor government
This is a list of the ministers who have served in John Kufuor's New Patriotic Party government during the Fourth Republic of Ghana. This government started on January 7, 2001, the first changeover between civilian governments in Ghana through the ...
to look into
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
violations in Ghana between 1967 and 1993. He stated that the allegations that he was involved in the murder of the High Court judges was a frame up. He named
Samuel Azu Crabbe
Samuel Azu Crabbe (18 November 1918 – 15 September 2005) was a Ghanaian barrister, solicitor and jurist. He was the fifth Chief Justice of Ghana since it became an independent nation.
Early life and education
Samuel Azu Crabbe was born at ...
, member of the board and
Chief Justice of Ghana
The Chief Justice of Ghana is the highest-ranking judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana. The chief justice is also the head of the Judiciary of Ghana and is responsible for its administration and supervision. In order of state precedence, the chief ...
between 1973 and 1977 and
Brigadier Nunoo-Mensah,
Chief of the Defence Staff in 1979 and 1982 as being involved in the conspiracy against him. He claimed that the statement by Nunoo-Mensah dated 23 November 1982 was proof that he was aware of the contents Amartey Quaye will be making on the same day. He requested for an opportunity to cross examine them but this was refused.
During his testimony, he narrated how he was tortured in December 1975 and January 1976 under the orders of Francis Poku, who was at the time a Deputy Superintendent of Police at the Special Branch for refusing to sign a confession stating that he was attempting to overthrow the
Supreme Military Council government. He claimed that his case as well as that of one Emmanuel Allotey who died in detention were documented by Amnesty International.
Francis Poku was Minister for National Security in the
Kufuor government
This is a list of the ministers who have served in John Kufuor's New Patriotic Party government during the Fourth Republic of Ghana. This government started on January 7, 2001, the first changeover between civilian governments in Ghana through the ...
at the time the National Reconciliation Commission was taking evidence from witnesses. Tsikata used this to buttress his point that the human rights violations occurred under all Ghanaian governments and that the commission should ensure it was not seen as being partisan or discriminatory.
Party politics
Tsikata who was the patron of two pro-Nkrumah groups, the Kwame Nkrumah Youngsters Club and the Kwame Nkrumah Welfare Society was instrumental in getting them to merge to form the
National Convention Party (NCP) prior to the
1992 Ghanaian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Ghana on 3 November 1992. They were the first contested elections held in the country since 1979, and only the fourth contested elections of any sort since the country gained independence in 1957.
Jerry Rawl ...
and
1992 parliamentary election. He together with
P. V. Obeng and
Ebo Tawiah
Ebo Tawiah is a Ghanaian unionist and politician. He was a member of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) military government led by Jerry Rawlings which ruled Ghana after the overthrow of the Limann government.
Unionist
Prior to his ...
were also influential in the NCP going into electoral alliance with the
National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 1992.
John Mahama, President of Ghana between July 2012 and January 2017 said Tsikata was an important advisor to him as well as being instrumental in the stability of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.
Nana Akufo-Addo
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ( ; born 29 March 1944) is a Ghanaian politician who has served as the president of Ghana since 7 January 2017. In 2020, he was re-elected for his second term, which will end on 6 January 2025. Akufo-Addo previously ...
, President of Ghana shortly after winning the
2016 Ghanaian general election
General elections were held in Ghana on 7 December 2016 to elect a President and Members of Parliament. They had originally been scheduled for 7 November 2016, but the date was later rejected by Parliament. Former foreign minister Nana Akufo-Ad ...
, thanked Tsikata among others for his invaluable advice.
Awards
Captain Kojo Tsikata received one of Angola's highest honours, known as Carlos Silva among Angolan fighters, for his role in the struggle for national independence.
Tsikata was a holder of the Solidarity Award and of the Order of "
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes del Castillo (18 April 1819, Bayamo, Spanish Cuba – 27 February 1874, San Lorenzo, Spanish Cuba) was a Cuban revolutionary hero and First President of Cuba in Arms in 1868. Cespedes, who was a plantation owner ...
", conferred by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba.
In September 2018 he was honoured with an award by the Socialist Forum of Ghana at the Pan African Conference which took place at the
University of Education, Winneba
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
.
He rejected a national award to be conferred on him in the category of the
Companion of the Order of the Volta
The Order of the Volta is an order of merit from the Republic of Ghana. It was instituted in 1960 and is awarded to people for their outstanding service to the country. by
President Kuffour. He was listed as one of the six government officials under the
NDC regime to receive the award.
Death and funeral
Tsikata died after a short illness in Accra. A private funeral was held for him according to his wishes on 9 December 2021.
The former
Côte d'Ivore president
who attended the funeral in
Accra
Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
described Tsikata as "the old brother of revolutionaries". He also mentioned that Tsikata looked after his mother while she was in exile in Ghana.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsikata, Kojo
1936 births
2021 deaths
History of Ghana
Ghanaian soldiers
National Convention Party (Ghana) politicians
National Democratic Congress (Ghana) politicians
People from Volta Region
Ewe people
Alumni of Achimota School
Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst