On June 16, 1979, General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, the Head of State of Ghana from January 13, 1972, to July 4, 1978, was put to death at the Teshie Firing Range on the instructions of the AFRC, which was headed by J. J. Rawlings.
Following the AFRC’s takeover, Acheampong was detained and charged with corruption, abuse of office, and misappropriation of public funds before a special military trial.
After a short trial, he was found guilty and given the same death sentence as Major General Edward Kwaku Utuka.
The two men were allegedly permitted to pray early on June 16, 1979, before being taken to the military firing range at Teshie, close to Accra.
Eyewitnesses at the time claimed that as Acheampong was brought to the execution site, he recognized the media by putting on a smile and waving a white handkerchief. Before the firing squad executed him and Utuka, hoods were placed over their heads.
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Their bodies were interred in the Nsawam prison cemetery following the executions.
Ten days later, on June 26, 1979, the AFRC executed six more senior military officers, including General Fred Akuffo and former Heads of State General Akwasi Afrifa, as part of what the regime claimed was an effort to eradicate corruption and reinstate order in the nation.
Years later, Jerry John Rawlings reconciled with General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong’s wife, Mrs. Faustina Acheampong. When they met at a program, Rawlings gave Mrs. Faustina Acheampong and her family a courtesy call to express regret for the trauma and pain they had experienced after the execution.
It is interesting to note that during J. J. Rawlings’ early years as a flying officer in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mrs. Faustina Acheampong even prepared meals for him to enjoy. But before J. J. Rawlings passed away, she forgave him and they made amends.