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The thought of former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings and the military attacks coupled with other barbarous things he suffered during his regime, has made Abdul Malik Kweku Baako to pine for his late father Kofi Baako.

Kweku Baako, on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 went into sober reflection while reacting to a recent comment by Mr. Rawlings about whether or not he was tortured under his regime.

My Soldiers Never Tortured

The former President, in an interview on Asaase Radio, refused to admit his soldiers tortured Kweku Baako and a host of others while he was Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces saying he (Kweku Baako) misinformed the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) about one of the coup plotters who wanted to overthrow his regime.

“Nobody did any such thing (torture) and professional soldiers don’t do things like that actually,” he said, adding that Mr. Baako at the time of the NRC sitting wanted the editor of the Daily Dispatch, Ben Ephson to join him to tell lies but “Ben Ephson refused to be part of it”.

''I think he [Ben Ephson] knew this kind of makeup wasn’t good enough…just to poison the atmosphere against us", he further stated.

The National Reconciliation Commission was set up by the Kufour government in January 2002 and looked into government abuses and military coups staged by former President Jerry John Rawlings.

Kweku Baako Expresses Nostalgic Feelings

Reacting to Rawlings' assertions on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Kweku Baako emphatically stated that he was a victim of torture under the former's regime. Narrating some incidents that led to his arrest by the Military and subsequently their torturous acts, Mr. Baako admitted missing his father.

He disclosed the significant role his father played during the reign of Ghana's first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah but was put in handcuffs during coup attempts.

He revealed his father was a close confidant to Nkrumah and part of those who enacted the Preventive Detention Act.

''My father played a major role under Nkrumahist government for 18 long years. I can sit here and say he was one of his closest confidants but the CPP supervised Preventive Detention Act. The rational I understand and I justify it even today but the implementation left much to be desired. In the process, we abused people's rights as well. They had children. They had wives. They had families. Don't forget two died in detention''.

According to him, he consequently suffered a similar fate of his father.

''I'm a victim of protective detention. That's how the PNDC called it. There were others who also victims under the Nkrumah's one. Of course, the NRC also did same. This whole thing began even with the colonial regime. My father and Nkrumah were put in the same handcuff, sent to prison the same day...When I pondered on all of this, I asked myself is it worth it?''

Centering on JJ Rawlings, Mr. Baako stressed he (Rawlings) was the brain behind the brutalities he suffered in the hands of the Military while being incacerated.

He said; ''They placed a chair there and told me to remove my shirt. After removing my shirt, they used the belts to whip me countless times. That was how they welcomed me. Afterwards, they sent me to their guard room...The next day, for the next 10/11 days, what they did to me at field engineers; God is my witness. At their parade square, they made me sing some military songs and compelled me to walk on my knees in the gravels. Before you could reach the end, you would be sick but when I collapse in the midway (third way), they will tell me to come back and start again. So, my knees were all bloodshot because the gravels had pierced them, then they would use their guns to repeatedly strike my waist...That’s why I said it had incapacitated me for life and people thought I was impotent…25 days at field engineers was a hell; total hell!''

''...I couldn’t walk…I don’t know how to be decent about this but I used to defecate on myself, urinate on myself for days…

''I don’t know how to be decent about this but I used to defecate on myself, urinate on myself for days…After torturing me, they would drag me on the floor because I was physically weak and could hardly move, and washed me with water to aggravate my pains'', he added.

Looking at the harrowing experiences of his life under the administration of former President Jerry John Rawlings, Kweku Baako came to a conclusion that he will never, in his lifetime, cross paths with Rawlings stressing ''the Rawlings', never again''.



Preventive Detention Act

The Preventive Detention Act came about after Nkrumah historically was convinced of an assassination plot against him and had Parliament to pass the Act, allowing for incarceration for up to five years without charge or trial.

The Act also empowered only Nkrumah to release prisoners, history indicates.

Profile of Kweku Baako's Father

Kofi Baako was a Ghanaian politician and served as Minister for Defence in the Nkrumah government until it was overthrown in 1966.

He also served as Minister for various other Ministries under the regime of the Convention People's Party.