The former head of National Security and Foreign Affairs of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), Captain Kojo Tsikata, has died.
The retired military officer, 85, who had been unwell, reportedly died in the early hours of Saturday, November 20.
According to a statement signed by Colonel (rtd) Joshua Agbotui and Fui Tsikata, a private family funeral would be held for the former member of the Council of State.
“In accordance with his wishes, the family will be making arrangements for a private family funeral,” it stated.
A retired Captain in the Ghana Army, Mr Tsikata was sent to the Congo with Major General Ankrah as part of a Ghanaian military contingent to protect the Pan-Africanist and anti-neocolonialist Patrice Lumumba, who was the Prime Minister. He later visited Conakry, Guinea, to visit Nkrumah.
He was appointed in 1982 under the Jerry Rawlings administration. He had been in charge of national security since 1982 and later joined the Rawlings administration on January 21, 1995.
He rejected a national award to be conferred on him in the category of the Order of the Volta Companion under President Kufuor.
He was listed as one of the six government officials under the NDC regime to receive the award.
He was appointed by Gaddafi to a senior advisory position in charge of the Al Mathaba Central Committee, a support centre for the liberation movement and anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist organisations.
Captain KojoTsikata received one of Angola’s highest honours, known as Carlos Silva among Angolan fighters, for his role in the struggle for national independence.
He was a holder of the Solidarity Award and the Order of “Carlos Manuel de Céspedes,” conferred by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba.
He was one of the famous witnesses to testify during the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) hearing in 2003, where he denied being involved with the killing of judges.
BY TIMES REPORTER
