Salifu Dagaati left, Nkrumah right
Ghana marked the 62nd anniversary on Friday January 2, 2026 of the death of Chief Superintendent Salifu Dagarti, the police officer who was killed while shielding the nation’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, from an assassin’s bullets.
The historical event occurred on January 2, 1964, at Flagstaff House, the presidential office in Accra. According to historical accounts, a police constable, Seth Ametewee, fired a gun at President Nkrumah as he approached the building. Dagarti, serving as a bodyguard, immediately intervened, placing himself in the line of fire.
The officer was struck by multiple bullets, including a fatal head wound, and died instantly. His action is widely credited with saving Nkrumah’s life during the attempt.
Chief Superintendent Dagarti was a native of Ullo, within the Jirapa municipality of the Upper West Region. His act of bravery is enshrined in Ghanaian history as a definitive example of duty and sacrifice.
The anniversary passes as a moment of historical reflection on a key incident in the early post-independence era, underscoring the personal risks faced by the nation's founding figures and those sworn to protect them.