The 1948 Accra Riots: When Ghana's Independence March Began

On February 28, 1948, a routine police shooting in Accra ignited a chain reaction that transformed the Gold Coast's political landscape. Three unarmed ex-servicemen — Sergeant Nii Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe, and Private Odartey Lamptey — were killed while marching to present a petition to the governor. The ensuing riots across Accra and beyond led to widespread looting, arson, and the deaths of 29 people. This episode unpacks the complex web of causes: the unmet promises of colonial welfare after World War II, the formation of the United Gold Coast Convention under J.B. Danquah and Kwame Nkrumah, the Watson Commission's inquiry, the arrest of the Big Six, and the structural reforms that followed. We examine the ex-servicemen's grievances — from inflation to unemployment — and how the British administration, led by Sir Gerald Creasy, mishandled the crisis. The riots became a catalyst for the independence movement, leading to the Coussey Committee and the 1951 constitution. Lucas and Luna also explore the contested memory of the day: the erasure of women's roles, the controversy over who ordered the police to shoot, and how later governments used the event to legitimize Nkrumah's rise. #AccraRiots #NiiAdjetey #BigSix #WatsonCommission #KwameNkrumah #GoldCoast #Independence #ColonialPolice #ExServicemen #CousseyCommittee #1948 #BritishEmpire #WestAfrica #GhanaHistory #FexingoHistory #History #Colonialism #Decolonization Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo