Time check: Friday 19th August 2022 circa 0400 hrs. I was tossing up on my bed with an insoluble matrix: how do I go to Court at 0900hrs go to 37 Hospital at 0900hrs, attend Omanhene’s summons at 0900 hrs and attend former IGP C.O Lamptey’s funeral at State House also at 0900hrs???
Finally I made up my mind, health first. Go to 37, and after that show up in the court, dash to State House to catch the funeral and finish up with the Omanhene.
As God would have it, just as I entered 37 Hospital I saw the doctor who wheeled me to his presence for attention. Within 15 minutes I was out of the medical center, straight to the Courts – the Judge not sitting, I took a date and, driver – State House!!!
Forecourt of the State House – where all major state funerals take place. I have attended funerals there, out of number, the last time being the funeral of the late Justice Marfo Sau, Justice of the Supreme Court.
But for the casket in the dominating center, one would be confused as to exactly what was going on – over thirty something white executive canopies, plenty of uniformed police officers, plenty of people all in white dress white tops and the women in tantalizing slit and kaba clothes….all at the State funeral service of 92 year old retired Inspector General of Police, Mr C.O Lamptey.
In the very early days of the 1982 PNDC Revolution, when J J Rawlings set up the National Investigations Committee at PNDC Headquarters, I was then a subaltern, and made Member Secretary of the Committee with our very first founding chairman as Mr C.O Lamptey, former IGP.
How old was I at the time? Small boy-and I will never forget when we brought President Limann’s Minister of Interior for interrogation and CO presiding asked him that he was the IGP, he did no wrong so why did the PNP Administration change him? He broke down and wept bitterly.
I got to the ground at the time when the sermon was being delivered, and , some ushers saw me – oh Honourable – they led me to the very first rank, and, guess who I sat by – reader – former Attorney General of Ghana Hon Ayikoi Otoo and Ghana’s High Commissioner to Canada.
The funeral service continued.
I scanned through the very executive funeral brochure, the tributes, and significantly absent was tribute by Police Administration!!
Offertory. Sounding of last post and the service was over.
During acknowledgement of dignitaries present, they mentioned Mr C.K Dewornu, Mohamemd Alhassan, Kudalor, David Asante Apeatu and of course the Mawerehene of Berekum Traditional Area, lawyer Nana Owusu Nsiah, who was IGP when I was MP for Berekum.
Need I say that present at the funeral were all members of the Headquarters Management Board (HEMAB-established by IGP Kwartey) including the vivacious law lecturer, COP Kofi Boakye, Head of Legal and Prosecutions.
The climax of the funeral service was just fantastic. Reader, over ONE HUNDRED police officers – junior ranks carrying rifles turned upside down and uniformed officers holding swords up – oh, it was nice!!! Led by the IGP himself, Dr Dampare and his ADC directly behind him, with the members of HEMAB lined up all in their splendid uniforms and medals – I saw almost everybody using their mobile phones to take pictures as the executive slow march snaked across the funeral grounds, wheeling the cadaver unto an executive Police hearse for a private burial at the Tseado Military Cemetery.
If going to heaven is determined by the way we bury the dead the retired IGP C.O Lamptey is safe at home.
Written by Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey
