Persecution Of Targeted Military Officers (10)

We have provided pieces of evidence to show that between 2001 and 2005, each time that the NPP is in power, the President and the Commander In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces effects changes in the Military High Command taking cognizance of merit and seniority in service and rank in particular.

Unfortunately, anytime that President John Mahama becomes the Commander In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, he goes mainly by loyalty to the National Democratic Congress and disregards merit and seniority in service and rank in constituting the Military High Command. If the situation in 2013 to 2017 under President Mahama was very divisive, politically and ethnocentrically induced, then one may be right to say that the situation in 2025 under President Mahama for “His Second Coming” is very destructive, egoistic, vindictive, and callous.

President Mahama has destroyed the very fabric of military traditions and norms which appreciate and recognize seniority in service and rank at all times. That explain why an officer who is senior in service and rank as a Captain Retired would receive salutes from even Generals who are junior in service and were junior in rank at the time that the Captain retired.

Obviously, President Mahama has thrown those military traditions and norms to the dogs by compulsorily retiring the only four star General, four (4) Lieutenant Generals, fourteen (14) Major Generals and also by appointing then junior Brigadier Generals as Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Air Staff and Chief of Staff.

For the avoidance of any doubt, we repeat the status of the Ghana Armed Forces Top Hierarchy as at 19^th March 2025 when President Mahama announced the changes in the Military High Command:

1. Chief of Defence Staff – General Thomas Oppong-Peprah
2. Chief of Army Staff – Lieutenant General Bismarck Kwasi Onwona
3. Chief of Naval Staff – Vice Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu
4. Chief of Air Staff – Air Marshal Frederick Asare Kwasi Bekoe
5. Chief of Staff – Lieutenant General Joseph Prince Osei – Owusu

Among the Major Generals were the following:

1. Major General EW Kotia – Commissioner General Ghana Boundary Commission
2. Major General AY Nsiah – Chief Defence Intelligence, GHQ
3. Major General IN Aryeetey – Commandant, National College of Defence Studies
4. Major General RA Gyane – Commandant KAIPTC
5. Major General RY Affram – Dep Force Commander, UNMISS
6. Major General MA Amoah – JTF Comd Op Koudanlguo, Northern Command
7. Rear Admiral Eric Adu – Commandant HQ TRADOC
8. Major General JA Aphour – DCOS (OPS and Trg)
9. Rear Admiral S Agyenim Boateng – DCOS (Log)
10. Major General M Essien – Commandant GAFCSC
11. Major General DYA Nyarko – DCOS (P&P), GHQ
12. Major General Raymond Kwablah Ewusi – DCOS (Medical)
13. Air Vice Marshal FA Asante – DCOS (Admin) GHQ
14. Major General Charles Agyemany-Prempeh – Commandant, GMA
15. Major General Anita Asmah- FC UNDOP

Some of the Brigadier Generals and equivalents who were senior to the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff and Chief of Staff as at 19^th March 2015 are as follows:

1. Commodore Samuel Walker (GH/2488)
2. Air Commodore Jacob Anum Ashifie (GH/2380)
3. Commodore Emmanuel Ayesu Kwafo (GH/2492)
4. Brigadier General Mahama Abdulai (GH/2275)
5. Brigadier General Elvis Kwesi Mends (GH/2223)
6. Brigadier General Atogbakoga Alobawone (GH/2372)
7. Commodore Emmanuel Wayoe (GH/2663)
8. Brigadier General Daniel Kofi Amissah (GH/2437)
9. Brigadier General Benjamin Amoah-Boakye (GH/2791)
10. Air Commodore George Kweku Arko-Dadzie (GH/2399)
11. Brigadier General Samuel Yeboah Asare (GH/2500)
12. Commodore Maxwel Arhen (GH/2742)
13. Brigadier General John Agyakwa (GH/2336)
14. Brigadier General Mohammed Mustapha (GH/2426)
15. Brigadier General Charles Adu – Brempong (GH/2441)
16. Brigadier General Albert Kwadwo Dawohoso (GH/2545)
17. Brigadier General James Hagan (GH/2548)
18. Brigadier General Winfried Dzandu – Hedidor

Others who were senior to then Brigadier General William Agyapong include:

1. Air Commodore Eric Agyen – Frempong (GH/2603)
2. Air Commodore Joseph Adu-Gyamfi (GH/2604)
3. Air Commodore Joshua Lartei Mensah-Larkai (GH/2609)
4. Air Commodore David Anetey Akrong (GH/2614)
5. Brigadier General Twum Ampofo – Gyekye (GH/2436)
6. Air Commodore Francis Ayitevi Nyarko (GH/2618)
7. Air Commodore Albert Addei (GH/2655)

All these above-mentioned officers were promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, Naval Commodore and Air Commodore between 28^th April 2017 and 5^th February 2021 while the current Chief of Defence Staff was promoted Brigadier General on 8^th July 2021 together with Brigadier General Barima Brako Owusu (GH/2558), Commodore Prosper Mensah Kwami Modey (GH/2734) and Commodore Bright Emmanuel Kojo Atiayao (GH/2743).

In the case of then Brigadier General Lawrence Kwaku Gbetanu who is now the Chief of Army Staff all the above – mentioned officers, and in particular the Army officers, were senior to him. Additionally, the following officers were also senior to then Brigadier General LK Gbatanu:

1. Brigadier General Prosper Kwami Ayibor (Jnr) (GH/2651)
2. Brigadier General Anthony Ntem (GH/2434)
3. Brigadier General Selassie Gagakuma (GH/2430)
4. Brigadier General Kwadwo Opoku (GH/2501)
5. Brigadier General Augustine Asiedu (GH/2509)
6. Air Commodore Elvis King Arneson (GH/2606)
7. Air Commodore Eric Yirenkyi (GH/2610)
8. Brigadier General Kenneth Kweku Kwaah Kumi (GH/2620)
9. Brigadier General Kweku Dankwa Hagan (GH/2623)

All these senior officers were promoted to the rank of Brigadier General between 8^th July 2021 and 28^th January 2022, while then Brigadier General LK Gbetanu got his rank on 3^rd August 2022, together with Air Commodore Edward Kwasi Gyamfi (GH/2522), Brigadier General Ben Gah (GH/2679) and Commodore Eric Osei (GH/2765).

In spite of these facts on the seniority in rank in the Ghana Armed Forces, President Mahama made the following changes in the Ghana Armed Forces Military High Command with effect from 24^th March 2025:

1. Chief of Defence Staff – Major General W Agyapong
2.  Chief of Army Staff – Major General LK Gbetanu
3. Chief of Air Staff – Air Vice Marshal E Agyen – Frempong
4. Chief of Naval Staff – Rear Admiral GL Bessing
5. Chief of Staff –  Air Vice Marshal JL Mensah-Larkai

It must be placed on record that on the original appointment sheet, Brigadier General Glover Ashong Annan (GH/2700) had been appointed the Chief of Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces at the General Headquarters. After the ranking Member for the Select Committee on Defence and Interior in the 9^th Parliament had complained about the fact that very junior Brigadier Generals and equivalents had been given appointments over their seniors, Brigadier General GA Annan was posted to the Ghana Revenue on secondment as the Commissioner for Customs. In the place of Brigadier General GA Annan, now Air Vice Marshal Joshua Lartei Mensah- Larkai was appointed the Chief of Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces on 23^rd March 2025.

The narratives above show the actual situation in the Ghana Armed Forces when President Mahama reduced his status to that of a Vice President to chair the meeting of the Ghana Armed Forces Council on Friday 25^th April 2025 to confirm the appointments of his beloved military senior officers and the compulsory retirement of his perceived politically and ethnocentrically incorrect officers.

By a Military Secretary Publication of 28^th April 2025, the greatest grandmother of all KOKOFU PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS in the annals of the Ghana Armed Forces were announced to the disbelief of conservative military traditionalists and peace-loving members of the military fraternity (both serving and retired).

Our interactions with both serving and retired military personnel, both officers and other ranks, showed that there had been a “Tsunami” in the Ghana Armed Forces. They described the action of President Mahama and the NDC government in the military variously as unprecedented, destructive, ill-motivated, malicious, vindictive, callous, ethnocentrically and politically biased. They wished President Mahama would have gone the ways of President John Kufour and Nana Akufo-Addo where peace, love, unity, national cohesion and integration informed their constitution of the Military High Command. No attempts were made to disrupt the military traditions and norms of respecting seniority in rank and service by Presidents Kufour and Akufo-Addo.

For instance, in March 2001 after the chiefs of Defence and Services of Army, Navy and Air Force had been retired alongside the two Major Generals commanding the two Army Commands (Northern and Southern) all Brigadier Generals and their equivalents in the Navy and Airforce were allowed to continue in their appointments until they reached their compulsory retiring ages or were promoted Major General.

Prominent among them were the following:

1. Air Commodore GK Doke (GH/853)
2. Brigadier General RK Agbemasu (GH/694)
3. Rear Admiral JY Adoko (GH/1069)
4. Major General NC Coleman (GH/1079)
5. Brigadier General LE Attivor (GH/1187)
6. Brigadier General WK Amanie (GH/1090)
7. Commodore CB Puplampu (GH/1195)
8. Brigadier General DCK Kattah (GH/1081
9. Commodore SR Adatsi (GH/1291)
10. Brigadier General KA Abdulai (GH/1205)
11. Brigadier General JK Attipoe (GH/1247
12. Brigadier General G Brock (GH/532)
13. Brigadier General KP Brown (GH/958)
14. Brigadier General AB Donkor (GH/1112)
15. Brigadier General TE Nguah (GH/545)
16. Brigadier General DA Twum (GH/1353)

Similarly, in March 2017, when President Akuffo-Addo retired the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Staff, all other Service Chiefs, two-star Generals and one-star Generals were allowed to stay in the service until they completed their tour of duty or reached their compulsory retiring ages. The Top Hierarchy of the Ghana Armed Forces as at 1^st February 2017 was as follows:

1. Chief of Defence Staff – Air Marshal Michael Samson-Oje (GH/1779).
2. Chief of Army Staff – Major General Obed Boamah Akwa (GH/1671).
3. Chief of Naval Staff – Rear Admiral Peter Kofi Faidoo (GH/1970).
4. Chief of Air Staff – Air Vice Marshal Maxwell Mantserbi – Tei Nagai (GH/1909).
5. Chief of Staff – Major General Sampson Kudjo Adeti (GH/2025).
6. Commandant MATS – Major General William Azure Ayamdo (GH/1954).
7. Commandant GAFCSC – Rear Admiral Seth Amoama (GH/2157).
8. Commandant KAIPTC – Air Vice Marshal Griffiths Santrofi Evans (GH/2027).

It is worthy to note that out of the Top eight Military Officers, only two (2) were retired by President Akufo-Addo while the rest were retained.

The two retired Generals were the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Michael Samson-Oje and the Chief of Staff, Major General Sampson Kudjo Adeti.

In the places of the two retired Generals were appointed:

1. CDS – Major General OB Akwa (former COAS)
2. COS – Rear Admiral Moses Beick – Baffour (GH/2073) (Elevated)

Thus while Major General SK Adeti from the Volta Region was retired, another officer from the Volta Region Rear Admiral M Beick-Baffour was appointed and promoted to replace him as Chief of Staff.