News
Last words of General Acheampong: ‘Take my wedding ring and pray for me before my execution’
Counting minutes or seconds to one’s death could be devastating and even leave one utterly dumbfounded, yet a military officer and Ghana’s former Head of State who was awaiting execution thought it wise to seek God’s clemency before his death by firing squad.
“Take this wedding ring and pray for me that God will accept me just as l am.” These were the last words which came from the trembling lips of the late Gen Ignatius Kutu Acheampong in the Roman Catholic Chapel at the Burma Villas, at Burma Camp, Accra.
Speaking in an interview with The Spectator at his base at Nkwanta in the Oti Region, Rev Fr Col Matthias Kumesi, then a Major and a Catholic Chaplain of the Ghana Armed Forces who was asked to prepare the senior military officers spiritually and entrust their souls to God before they were executed in `1979, intimated that it was a traumatic experience for him to go through as a Catholic priest.
He said he was shocked because he asked General Acheampong whether he should give the ring to his wife, but the former Ghanaian leader told the military priest to rather keep it and pray for his soul as he was going to meet his Maker.
Rev Fr Col Kumesi said Maj Gen Edward Kwaku Utuka, a former Border Guard Commander who was to be shot with Acheampong also enguired from him to give a bag he had to his wife, which he did, adding that it was possible for him to do so because he lived at Awudome Estate in Accra with his (Utuka’s) family.
“When l carried the bag to Utuka’s wife and informed her that the husband had been executed, she broke down in tears and wept bitterly but later paused at a point and asked me to do her a favour by picking up her daughter from the Achimota School. At the school, l obtained permission from the authorities and came home with the daughter,” he said.
The Chaplain General said it was sad to note that the rest of the officers could not give him any messages to their families, hence their inability to tell him something, but he believed they were struck by shock.
“Imagine receiving such a chilling command by a telephone call at midnight which frantically rocks one to the marrow, disturbing one’s sleep and leaving one in a confused state of mind,” he said.
He said that he was tasked to prepare soldiers who were to be executed, adding that under such circumstances he was compelled to move to the chapel to wait for the arrival of those to be executed. But he could not succinctly explain why the task fell on him.
The then Chaplain General said those earmarked for execution were brought in handcuffs but he requested that the handcuffs be removed before they were ushered into the chapel.
Rev Fr Col Kumesi said while in the chapel some, of them got confused and sat very calm. “It is, indeed, tragic to walk to one’s death. We know that when struck with ailment, one has the hope to either survive by divine healing or by administering a potent medicine. But l tell you it is not easy,” he said.
He stated that since it was difficult to look into their faces, he rather faced the altar, prayed for them, calmed their nerves and encouraged them that God was waiting to welcome them into His Kingdom.
By Raymond Kyekye
.
News
Abu Trica’s extradition case: Prophets, fetish priests demand pay for spiritual solution …Lawyer reveals
Mr Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a lawyer for embattled Frederick Kumi, affectionately called Abu Trica and has made a shocking revelation over the behaviour of some members of the clergy.
According to him in a post on social media, the difficult part of Abu Trica’s trial is not the law but the number of ‘Men of God’ and fetish priests demanding financial sacrifices to help resolve the matter spiritually.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2026, “The most difficult part about the Abu Trica case; is not the law.”
He continued: “It is the number of, prophetesses, evangelists and fetish priests, who have called or messaged to ask us to pay for spiritual solutions.”
It would be recalled that in March this year, the Gbese District Court dismissed a preliminary objection filed by Abu Trica, challenging the extradition proceedings initiated at the request of the United States.
The court, presided over by Anna Akosua Appiah Gottfried Anaafi Gyasi, in its ruling held that the offences forming the basis of the extradition, particularly wire fraud, constitute extraditable offences under the 1931 treaty between Ghana and the United States.
He was then given 15 days counting from March 27 to appeal the decision of the court or be surrendered for extradition to the US.
Against this backdrop, he was on Tuesday, April 22, granted a bail in the sum of GH¢30,000,000 by an Accra High, pending the appeal of his extradition
Mr Kumi was arrested in Ghana in December 2025 following an indictment by United States authorities, alleging that he played a role in a romance scam network that defrauded elderly American victims of more than $8 million.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
From panic to pass: how parents, teachers can help children beat BECE, WASSCE exam phobia- Part 1
Walk through any Junior High or Senior High compound in Ghana as BECE or WASSCE approaches and you will see it.
A bright girl suddenly quiet. A boy who led class debates now sleeping at his desk. A Form three student with stomach pains every Monday morning.
This is not laziness. This is academic stress. When left unaddressed, it hardens into exam phobia-overwhelming dread that pushes children into burnout, avoidance, and sometimes silence.
As a mental health professional who sits with these children and their parents at Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Adenta Oyarifa-Teiman, I see the pattern clearly.
Research confirms it. Putwain and Daly (2014) found that high test anxiety predicts lower grades independent of ability. Zeidner (1998) showed that chronic academic pressure raises cortisol, weakens memory recall, and increases school dropout risk. The brain under fear cannot retrieve what it studied.
Understanding the storm: What academic stress really looks like
Exam phobia is not just “being nervous.” It shows up as headaches before mocks, sudden anger when books are mentioned, night-time insomnia, or perfectionism that ends in blank scripts.
Some children over-study until 2 a.m. and forget everything by 9 a.m. Others avoid books completely, scrolling phones instead. Both are distress signals. Dr Kenneth Ginsburg, a paediatrician specialising in adolescent resilience, notes: “Stress is not the enemy; feeling alone with stress is.” Too many Ghanaian children feel alone with it.
The home front: How parents and couples become safe havens, not extra pressure
The first antidote is at home. Structure beats shouting. Set a predictable study slot-same time, same place, with water and a light snack. Then protect sleep like you protect school fees. A tired brain fails faster than an unprepared one. Use the “15-minute start rule”: “Just sit for 15 minutes. If you still can’t, we close and try after a walk.” Often, starting is the hardest part.
Couples must watch their language. “Don’t disgrace us” plants fear. Replace it with “We see your effort. What part feels hardest today?” Praise process, not only position: “You revised three topics and asked for help—that is maturity.” Research by Dweck (2006) confirms that process praise builds resilience while outcome praise increases anxiety.
For caregivers, check your own anxiety. Children borrow our nervous system. If BECE makes you panic, they will panic. One parent grounds—keeps meals, prayer, and bedtime steady. The other pivots—talks to teachers, adjusts timetables, arranges counselling. Both protect rest. An empty cup cannot pour calm.
Resources
– Counsellor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC): Award-winning Clinical Mental Health and Counselling Facility, accredited by the Ghana Psychology Council.
– School-Based Support: Speak to Guidance & Counselling units, or licensed school counsellors. E.g. Counsellor Blessing Offei – 0559850604 (School Counsellor).
– Contact CPAC for Parent Coaching/Counselling & Student Therapy: 055 985 0604 / 055 142 8486
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