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APSU @ 90: Living with the scar of our 1980 Golden Jubilee

On the night of December 5, 1980, St. Augustine’s College in Cape Coast, Ghana, experienced one of the most harrowing incidents in its history. 

What was meant to be a celebration for masters, students, alumni, and stakeholders turned into a nightmare—especially for the 11–13-year-old fresh students (Form Ones), whose youthful innocence was forever scarred.

The occasion was the Golden Jubilee—the 50th anniversary of this prestigious Catholic school. The celebration began with excitement and pride as we departed from our school’s magnificent campus, perched on a semi-hill overlooking the vast Atlantic Ocean (fondly known as Angola). 

Led by our School Prefect, Richard Glover, along with other prefects and the Form Ones, the procession made its way toward the vibrant nightlife of Cape Coast. Our spirits were high. 

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The AUGUSCO Cadet Corps, led by Goron, Berchie, and Mona Moore, commanded the procession with precision and discipline, ensuring order in both human and vehicular traffic. 

Even amid the exuberance, AUGUSCO’s renowned discipline shone through. As we moved gracefully and steadily toward the Baka (Cape Coast Lagoon), inching closer to Bakaano, a suburb of Cape Coast, drivers slowed down to witness what was quickly becoming a spectacle—AUGUSCO takes the night. 

Some lowered their car windows, asking about the occasion, smiling, and waving as they continued their journeys. The mood was infectious. 

The Moment of Madness

Then, suddenly, came a moment of madness that shattered our joy. Earlier, a man later identified as Nkansah Sagoe, attempted to speed through the procession but was stopped by members of our Cadet Corps. 

Furious, he circled back through the Siwdu Park Road and re-entered the Ola-Bakano passage, where the procession had begun. This time, he accelerated recklessly, plowing through the students, and leaving chaos in his trail. 

Richmond Keelson, the writer and a member of APSU 85

Many students sustained serious injuries, while others were caught in the turmoil that followed. 

The injured were swiftly rushed to the Cape Coast General Hospital, fortunately located just a mile away. 

What was meant to be a golden night of unity and joy quickly turned into a scene of tragedy—especially for us, the newest members of the AUGUSCO family, still striving to find our place within its proud traditions.

Breaking the deadly news 

Back on campus, we were dazed and struggled to process the horror of what had just happened. Then, the news we dreaded most hit us like a sledgehammer: “Awichiway die.”  

In pidgin English, this meant that Awichiway (Emmanuel Sam)—one of our own—had succumbed to his injuries. But Chiway was not the only one. 

Unknown to us at the time, Peter Ankamah, a fresh Lower Sixth-former, who had transferred from Apam Secondary School to experience and enjoy the AUGUSCO legend, had also lost his life. 

Several other students, mostly seniors, were gravely injured. Among the hardest hit were Seniors, Koo Bobby, William Dawson Coker, and especially, Anthony Yankson, who had to be flown overseas for further treatment.

Grief and anger consumed the campus like never before. The cries of “Chaaarge!” and “Aluta!” rang through the night as AUGUSCO’s collective pain reached a fever pitch. In our anguish, we demanded justice, even calling for retribution against Nkansah if he were released.

The resilient Luke Gyasi Appiah, our headmaster  

Amid the chaos, however, the leadership, resilience, and bravery of our Headmaster, the great Luke Gyasi Appiah, shone through as he calmed the storm and provided direction during those trying moments. 

The true spirit of AUGUSCO became manifest in the aftermath of the incident. 

While some past students came to check on their children and wards, their larger focus was on the AUGUSCO question: How could they support the injured and rally the school back to its feet? 

Many helped arrange for some victims to be flown to Accra for superior medical care, while others—medical doctors among the alumni—helped to attend to those with minor injuries at the Cape Coast Central Hospital. 

The petrified innocence of fresh Form One Boys 

I can still recall vividly the purity and the boyish innocence of my St. John’s House mates—Cyril Nuku Kattah, Patrick Ansah (Patans), Osei Yaw Dua (Yaw Do), Frederick Tenkorang (Koo Dei), to mention a few—as well as our Upper House St. Joseph’s mates, Patrick Brown (Paa Bee), Michael George Atiemoh (Psadat), Victor Lindsay (Otoro), Kenneth Owusu, and David Agyin Frimpong (Tomobi) as they tried to reconcile themselves with events of the night.

Others who shared in this nightmarish experience included Jerry Koomson (Paa Koomie), Alex Anwobor, Joseph Quainoo (Jose), Samuel Prince Mensah (Rak), Patrick Mills (Pee Nana), Seth Lamptey (Setho), Enoch Yankey (Feli), Michael Baddoo (T’Kpakpo), and Alex Kodwiw (Dwashman).

Also among them were Kofi Padi, Michael Effah (Kaslao), Charles Yakah, Joseph Quansah (Joe Quash), Emmanuel Ghunney (Deghunster), Akwasi Asante (Tie Aduro), Valdis Solomon (Tgbash), Vincent Yankey, Nii Lartey Lawson, Carl Nelson, and many others. 

These “toddlers,” as we were then called, saw our dreams for the night nearly torpedoed—if not for the resilience that defines AUGUSCO.

A tribute to our departed mates

Tragically, some of us did not live to see the 40th anniversary of our entry into the Golden AUGUSCO. To all the 1980 Form One boys whose names have not been mentioned—due to the constraints of space—let me affirm this: we all bear the scars of that harrowing experience, processing its impact both then and now. The events of that night remain etched in our collective memory.

What was intended to be a golden milestone in the history of St. Augustine’s College became a sobering reminder of life’s unpredictability and fragility.

As AUGUSCO marks its 90th anniversary, we reflect not only on our triumphs but also on the tragedies that have shaped us. 

These experiences have fortified our resilience and deepened our bond as one great family.

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