Attempt on Rawlings
A few undisputed facts:- on Friday February 1 and Saturday February 2, the Ghanaian security forces were involved in a furious exchange of shooting with some unidentified people in a bungalow in Kumasi near the Chopsticks restaurant and the Kumasi golf course. A number of security officers were killed, some say two or three, some other sources put the number of security people killed as high as 15. The security people retreated to bring reinforcements and then proceeded to dynamite the building they had been attacking - the area has been reduced to rubble. On February 5, both the People's Daily Graphic and the Ghanaian Times carried police announcement about two wanted persons. Ex-Major Suliemana and Alhaji Abass, said to be wanted for police inquiries.
February 8, there were organised demonstrations in Kumasi said to be in support of the PNDC and the crowd was addressed by the Otumfuo Opoku Ware, the Asantehene who among other things, stated that dissidents will not succeed in preventing Flt-Lt Rawlings from visiting Kumasi and that if anything happened to the Flight- Lieutenant during his visit to Kumasi, it would have been a great shame to all Ashantis and that in spite of the evil actions of the dissidents, the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the Ashanti Confederacy will go on as planned.
Flt-Lt Rawlings with other high ranking members of his government had gone to Kumasi on Thursday February 31 to attend a big durbar of chiefs and people of Ashanti. On arrival at the airport in Kumasi a last minute switch of plans was made, it is said, as a result of security information the Flight-Lieutenant abandoned his planned drive along the route lined by schoolchildren and market women from the airport to the durbar grounds.
He helicoptered from the airport straight onto the durbar grounds and left by helicopter from the durbar grounds after the durbar straight to his waiting plane and back to Accra. No explanations were given for the change of plans nor about why the planned call to the Asantehene at the Manhyia Palace was abandoned.
Reports indicate that the security forces had stumbled on an elaborate plot to assassinate Flt-Lt Raw during his visit to Kumasi and possibly along the route of his drive and plotters were traced to the house near the Golf course. When the security forces stormed the house, however they were surprised by the amount of force and resistance put up by those inside and there ensued a gun battle causing a number of deaths. The security officers are said to have then retreated to get reinforcements and then proceeded to reduce the building to a rubble.
Two names are being mentioned in connection with this latest attempt on Flt-Lt Rawlings. Ex-Major Sulieman is best known as the man who led the troops that foiled Flt-Lt Rawlings' first attempt to seize power back in May 1979. Since then he has been said have led the group that tried to overthrow the PNDC in June 1982 when a group of ex-soldiers came in from Lome for a brief period, seize Broadcasting House and freed their colleagues being held in various jails He is reputed to be a fearless soldier with a loyal following among the soldiers if he indeed was in Kumasi for this latest attempt, it could only have enhanced his reputation among those who believe that his military prowess is not without some extra spiritual powers. He has been wanted by the PNDC for a long time and has been seen in Lome.
Alhaji Abass was a regional organiser of the defunct Peoples National Party of ex-President Limann.
