Retired Major Boakye Djan , a prominent figure in Ghana’s history, has reportedly passed away.
The unfortunate revelation was disclosed by Accra based TV station, Atinka TV.
There is no official announcement from the family of the former military officer and little is known about the cause of his death, he died at the age of 81 at the 37 Military Hospital.
Major Boakye Djan’s demise marks the end of a remarkable journey that saw him play significant roles both within the military and on the political stage.
Known for his unwavering dedication to his country, Major (Rtd) Boakye Gyan was often referred to as a key architect in the June 4 uprising in 1979 that shot the late former President, Ft. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings to fame, a description he holds a differing view on.
He hailed from the Bono East Region of the Republic of Ghana.
The state-run Daily Graphic wrote about him: Boakye-Djan attended secondary school at Opoku Ware School in Kumasi for his Ordinary (O) Level certificate and Achimota School for his sixth form Advanced Level certificate.
He was also the best man at the wedding of Rawlings and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings.
Military career
He was with the Fifth Infantry Battalion prior to the June 4, 1979 coup d’état which replaced the Supreme Military Council government with the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council.
Boakye-Djan formed the Free Africa Movement with some colleagues in the early 1970s and they were planning to take power in the 1980s as senior officers in the army.
Their planning was still at an early stage and the 15 May 1979 abortive coup attempt by Flight Lieutenant Rawlings forced them into initiating theirs as some of them were being arrested on suspicion of plotting against the military government. It appears it was one of his members, Peter Tasiri who actually initiated the coup on the day. There appeared to be a lot of confusion and no clear leadership during the coup events.
In 2003, he said that the main purpose was to save Rawlings, who was facing a possible death sentence for planning a coup in the previous month.
During an interview in 2017, he stated that he and Rawlings have grown apart and had not spoken to each other since the end of the AFRC rule.
