The remains of Colonel Peter Mama Agbeko, 85, the first Ghanaian Lawyer to be commissioned into the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) on March 17, 1961, was interred at the Osu Military Cemetery last Friday.
The burial ceremony was preceded by a funeral service at the St Catherine Catholic Church at Burma Camp, Accra which was parked to capacity by present and past serving military officers, including Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, a former Head of State, and General Joseph Henry Smith, past Minister of Defence, and Chief of Defence Staff of GAF, as well as family members, friends and sympathisers.
As the casket, draped in the national colours amidst military honours, was being escorted to the cemetery, the main Burma Camp road was choked with traffic because of the number of vehicles that carried mourners to the church service.
On Sunday, there was a thanksgiving service at the Reverend Kwesi Dickson Methodist Church in Accra.
Col Agbeko joined the GAF with identification number GH 178.
He became the first Director of Legal Services of the GAF.
Col Agbeko was honourably released from the GAF in 1980 at the age of 51.
Born on April 25, 1929, he gained admission to St Augustine’s College in 1945 but due to ill health, he had to continue his secondary education at Accra Academy, where he completed in 1950. He was employed at Texas Oil Company as an account’s clerk, but left in protest of racism and joined Gold Coast Express newspaper as a reporter.
He later tried his hands at architectural draughtsmanship, but left for England where he studied law. He was called to the Degree of the Utter Bar at the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple in May 1960. Col Agbeko enrolled as Barrister-at-Law and Solicitor at the Supreme Court of Ghana in October, 1960.
He also served as Honorary Counsel and Attorney-at-Law in the United States Court of Military Appeals. In March 1983, Real Admiral Kevin Dzang, the incumbent Minister of Defence, invited Col Agbeko to take an assignment involving veterans.
This led to the establishment of the Agbeko Committee with the primary objective to collect and evaluate proposals for the formation of the Veterans Association of Ghana. Col Agbeko was on duty tour in Namibia from 1992-1999, where he served as the Special Legal Advisor on Civic Affairs to the local government.
From 1997-1998, he served as the President of the Rotary Club of Windhoek-AUAS. Flt Lt Rawlings described Col Agbeko as one of the finest officers he had the privilege and honour of knowing.
“Col Agbeko epitomised the values of mutual respect and affection—a calm disciplinarian, a tower of strength, a man of integrity and a role model who stood tall above the declining socio-economic situation prevailing then.”
Flt Lt Rawlings added: “Col Agbeko, you served the Armed Forces and this country with dignity. Your noble disposition was like the light of a candle in the night. You gave us hope without words and through you we knew we could triumph over evil.”
Col Agbeko was survived by Gloria and seven children, 11 grandchildren and one great grandchild.
