Kwadwo Agyei Agyapong

Last updated
Kwadwo Agyei Agyapong
High Court judge
In office
1977–1982
Personal details
Born
Kwadwo Agyei Agyapong

November 1926
Oyoko, Ashanti Region, Gold Coast
Died30 June 1982(1982-06-30) (aged 55)
Accra, Ghana
Cause of death Murder (gunshot wound)
Buried
Osu Cemetery, Accra, Ghana
SpouseComfort Agyapong
Children10 including Kwabena Agyapong
Education Mfantsipim School
Alma mater
OccupationGhanaian High court judge
Known for
  • His work as a Ghanaian High court judge
  • His abduction and murder together with two other High Court judges and a retired military officer in 1982
MonumentsMemorial to the Martyrs of the Rule of Law in front of the Supreme Court of Ghana buildings

Kwadwo Agyei Agyapong was a Ghanaian judge and one of the three judges murdered following their abduction on 30 June 1982. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Born in Oyoko in the Ashanti Region in November 1926. [3] Agyapong's early education began at the Asokore Local Authority Methodist Primary School and the Sekondi Methodist Church School. In 1942, he earned a scholarship to study at Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast, for his secondary education. After obtaining his Cambridge school certificate in 1946, he entered Wesley College where he was awarded his grade A Teachers' Certificate. In 1954, Agyapong gained a Cocobod scholarship to study at King's College, a constituent college of the University of London. There he studied law and obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1958. He was called to the English bar at the Inner Temple in February 1960. [3] [4]

Career

Following his studies at Wesley College, Agyapong returned to Mfantsipim School to teach. Amongst his students at the time were Joseph W.S. de Graft-Johnson (former Vice-President of Ghana) and Isaac Kobina Abban (former Chief Justice of Ghana). [3] [4] He also had teaching stints at the Ghana National College, the Accra Academy, and Accra High School. [3]

After completing his legal studies in the United Kingdom, Agyapong returned to Ghana in 1961 to begin private legal practice. [3] [4] [5] He later founded a law firm together with his friend, Kwabena Adu-Tutu Amankwah at Adum in Kumasi. [3]

Following recommendations from the presiding judge of the Ashanti Region and the Ghana Judicial Council, Agyapong was made a justice of the High Court in 1977. [3] In 1980, he made history by being the only High Court judge to sit on the then transitional Supreme Court bench in the hearing of the historical constitutional case between the then People's National Party (PNP) government and Dr. Kwame Amoako Tuffuor. [3] [4]

In May 1979, he was appointed chairman of the Committee of Enquiry that investigated the case of the Accra Railway shooting incident that saw the death of a second-year student of Commonwealth Hall, University of Ghana by a police constable. In his report in June 1980, he lamented the unwarranted use of ammunition by the police in a rather peaceful students' demonstration. [3] [4]

Personal life

Agyapong was married to Mrs. Comfort Agyapong. [3] [6] His last child was three months old at the time of his abduction. [7] He was the father of Kwabena Agyapong, the former secretary of the New Patriotic Party. [7]

Abduction and death

Agyapong was one of the four people (together with Justice Fred Poku Sarkodee, Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addow, and Major Sam Acquah) that were abducted during curfew hours (which started at 6pm and ended at 6am) on June 30, 1982. Their abductors were later identified as soldiers who were in plain clothes at the time of the abduction. [8] According to the report of the Special Investigation Board appointed by the PNDC, one of the abductors, Johnny Dzandu, told the abducted persons that they (the abducted people) were "enemies of the revolution". The abductors were driving in a Fiat Compagnola jeep during curfew hours. The abducted people were later found dead with gun-shot wounds and superficial burns. [4]

Legacy

Agyapong, like his three compatriots, had their lives and careers abruptly ended by their untimely deaths on June 30, 1982. In the forecourt of the Supreme Court premises, three busts have been erected in honour of the three High Court Judges as a perpetual memorial of their judicial careers and sacrifice. On Justice Agyapong's bust are inscribed the following words:

"Justice Agyapong will be remembered for his simple and unassuming manner. His prodigious capacity and love for Judicial work and his abhorrence for violence. He was a committed father, husband and judge. May the soul of justice Agyei Kwadwo Agyapong rest in peace." [3]

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On 30 June 1982 three high court judges and a retired army officer were abducted from their homes between the hours of 9:00pm and 10:30pm GMT and murdered at the Bundase military shooting range near Accra. The murders led to public outcry and the formation of a Special Investigations Board (SIB) to investigate the events. The report of the SIB led to the charging and trial of the perpetrators who were subsequently sentenced to death by firing squad. June 30 is commemorated every year as Martyrs Day in Ghana.

References

  1. ↑ "k a agyapong - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  2. ↑ Quantson, Kofi Bentum (2003). Ghana, National Security: --the Dilemma. Napasvil Ventures. ISBN   978-9988-8142-0-5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Martyrs Day: Biography of late Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong , retrieved 2022-08-06
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Lest We Forget = So That We Don't Forget". DailyGuide Network. 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  5. ↑ Review of Ghana Law. General Legal Council. 1982.
  6. ↑ Persons), Ghana Special Investigation Board (Kidnapping and Killing of Specified (1983). Final Report of the Special Investigation Board (Kidnapping and Killing of Specified Persons). Ghana Publishing Corporation.
  7. 1 2 "Judge murders: Kwabena Agyapong recounts how his father was abducted". GhanaWeb. 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  8. ↑ Yidana, Jacob Jabuni (2002). Who Killed the Judges?. Bismi Enterprise. ISBN   978-9988-0-0900-7.
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