Nana Akufo-Addo has paid tribute to victims of the February 28 Christiansburg crossroads shooting incident that precipitated the country’s struggle for independence.
Addressing the Nation to give COVID-19 update, the President said “You are doing so on one of the sacred days of our nation, 28th February, when the 1948 Christiansburg Crossroads shooting occurred seventy-three (73) years ago, which led to the martyrdom of Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe, and Private Odartey Lamptey, martyrdoms that ignited the nationalist movement, and led us to the freedom we enjoy today.”
“Let us observe a moment’s silence in honor of their memory, and the memory of all the faithful departed patriots who helped create our nation. May their souls rest in perfect peace.”
On the noon of February 28, 1948, several ex-servicemen were marching from Accra to the Christiansborg Castle to present a petition to the governor over their unpaid war benefits.
They were, however, intercepted at the crossroads by a contingent of armed policemen.
The contingent, led by British Police Superintendent, Mr. Colin Imray, ordered that they disperse and when they refused to obey, he gave an order to the police to open fire; and the three ex-servicemen were killed.
The ex-soldiers had fought alongside the allied forces in the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force during the Second World War and had returned home poor but they were not paid their gratuity.
After several appeals to the colonial government to consider their plight had failed, the ex-servicemen decided that a direct appeal should be made to the British colonial governor of the Gold Coast, hence the march.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com
