On 19 June 1983, Ghana woke up to another dramatic military uprising. At the centre of the operation was Sergeant Abdul Malik, a Ghana Army soldier who, together with Lance Corporal Carlos Halidu Giwa, led an armed attempt to overthrow the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) government headed by Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings.
In the early hours of that morning, the rebels launched a well-planned attack on important military and state installations in Accra. Their first major target was the country’s prisons.
They broke into Ussher Fort Prison, James Fort Prison, and the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, freeing many political and military prisoners.
The rebels also seized the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to announce that they had taken over the country. For a short time, it appeared that the coup might succeed. However, loyal soldiers quickly regrouped and launched a strong counterattack. After several hours of fighting, the uprising was crushed and government forces regained control.
The failed coup had serious consequences. Many people were arrested, and some innocent individuals were wrongly accused of taking part in the plot.
Although early reports claimed that Sergeant Abdul Malik had escaped and was tried in absentia, later accounts revealed a different story. Historical records indicate that he was captured by government forces shortly after the rebellion collapsed. He and some of his fellow plotters, including Lance Corporal Halidu Giwa, were reportedly executed without a formal trial.
Testimonies presented years later before Ghana’s National Reconciliation Commission also alleged that several captured rebels were taken to the Air Force Base in Accra, where they were killed and buried in unmarked graves.
More than four decades later, the June 19, 1983 coup attempt remains one of the most dramatic and controversial events in Ghana’s military history.
The story of Sergeant Abdul Malik continues to remind Ghanaians of the political tensions, military unrest, and difficult period the country experienced during the early years of the PNDC
