Salifu Dagarti; the police officer who took a bullet for Kwame Nkrumah

Salifu Dagarti; the police officer who took a bullet for Kwame Nkrumah

Salifu Dagarti was a British trained Ghanaian police officer serving as one of President Nkrumah’s bodyguards at the Flagstaff House. Supretendant Salifu was born in July 1931 and died on 2nd January 1964 when he used his body to shield Kwame Nkrumah on the fifth attempt to assassinate the President since he came to power in 1957.

How did it happen?

As Ghana entered 1964, at about 1.15 pm on Thursday, January 2nd, President Nkrumah of Ghana left his office at Flagstaff House to return to Christiansborg Castle for lunch. As he moved towards his car, across the courtyard, he was accompanied by two security guards – one Salifu Dagarti, a veteran British-trained police professional, the other an amateur provided by the President’s own party, CPP. A rifle shot rang out. It had been fired from behind some sort of cover – perhaps about 50 yards away – by Constable Ametewee, one of the policemen on guard at Flagstaff House who had been transferred for duty there only a day or two previously. The driver of the President’s car immediately disappeared. The CPP security guard hid for his life behind the car. The President and Salifu dived for cover.

Salifu got up to see what was going on and was instantly shot through the head. Two more shots were fired. One or both of them ripped through the President’s shirt but were apparently deflected by his bullet-proof vest.
Constable Ametewee then attempted to fire his fifth and last round, but the bullet was accidentally ejected. The President, perhaps seeing what had happened, got up and ran.

Lifeless body of Supt. Salifu Dagarti surrounded by Kwame Nkrumah and his new military guard

The distance he covered was considerable. And, as he ran, he shouted for help. A number of armed policemen apparently watched with interest to see how the incident would end but did not move.

Senior officials similarly watched from the windows of nearby offices, one of them confining himself to the single comment: ‘They’ve bungled it again’.

As the President approached the kitchen of Flagstaff House, the Constable caught up with him and tried to club him with his rifle butt, but the rifle slipped from his hands. Inside the kitchen, the President and the Constable finally got to grips. The Constable bit the President’s cheek. The President kicked the Constable in the groin and the latter momentarily collapsed. At that stage, other policemen arrived on the scene and decided the time had come to intervene.

Constable Ametewee was quickly knocked out and left lying on the ground. The President, having changed his shirt and had his cheek dressed by a Russian doctor, had his photograph taken crouching over his assailant, as he might have done had he just overpowered him. He then left for the Castle, from which he has not since emerged.

Source: Extract from Edward A. Ulzen Memorial Foundation’s Report