Colonel

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

 Roger Joseph Atogetipoli Felli (May 2, 1941 - June 26, 1979) was a soldier

Soldier

A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...

 and politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 who was once the foreign minister

Foreign minister

A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...

 of Ghana

Ghana

Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

.

Roger Felli was born at Navrongo

Navrongo

Navrongo is in Ghana, near its northern border. It is the capital of Kassena-Nankana District – which is within the Upper East Region of Ghana.Navrongo is an important market town, known for its cathedral and its grotto....

, the capital of the Kassena-Nankana District

Kassena-Nankana District

-Sources:*...

 in the Upper East Region

Upper East Region

The Upper East Region is the smallest of 10 administrative regions in Ghana, occupying a total land surface of 8,842 square kilometers or 2.7 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. In terms of population, it is the ninth most populated region with a population of 920,089 in 2000, accounting for...

 of Ghana.

Military

He was commissioned as a lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 in the Ghana army

Ghana Army

The Ghana Army is the army of the West African nation of Ghana. In 1959, two years after the Gold Coast obtained independence as Ghana, the Gold Coast Regiment was withdrawn from the Royal West African Frontier Force, and formed the basis for the new Ghanaian Army...

 in 1963. He rose through the ranks after attending courses in Ghana and the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

.

Politics

After the overthrow of Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia

Kofi Abrefa Busia

Kofi Abrefa Busia was Prime Minister of Ghana from 1969–72. He was born in Wenchi, in the then British colony of Gold Coast . He was educated at Methodist School, Wenchi, Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast, then at Wesley College, Kumasi from 1931–32. He later became a teacher at Achimota Secondary...

's Progress Party

Progress Party

Progress Party may refer to:* Gabonese Progress Party, political party in Gabon* German Progress Party, the first modern political party with a program in Germany...

 government on January 13, 1972, the then Major Felli became a member of the ruling National Redemption Council

National Redemption Council

The National Redemption Council was the ruling Ghana military government in from January 13, 1972 to October 9, 1975. Its chairman was Colonel I.K. Acheampong. He was also the Head of state of Ghana due to his chairmanship.-Duration of rule:...

 led by General (then Colonel) Ignatius Kutu Acheampong. He was appointed the Commissioner

Minister (government)

A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....

 for the Works and Housing Ministry in the new government. He later also held the portfolios of the Trade and Industry Ministry and the Finance and Economic Planning Ministry respectively. Colonel (then Major) Roger Felli was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1975. He held this position till the coup d'état

Coup d'état

A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...

 of June 4, 1979 which brought the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council

Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, Ghana

The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council was the government of Ghana from June 4, 1979 to September 24, 1979. It came to power in a bloody coup that removed the Supreme Military Council, another military regime, from power. The June 4 coup was preceded by an abortive attempt on May 15, 1979 when...

 (AFRC) led by Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings

Jerry Rawlings

Jerry John Rawlings is a former leader of the Republic of Ghana and now the African Union envoy to Somalia. Rawlings ruled Ghana as a military dictator in 1979 and from 1981 to 1992 and then as the first elected president of the Fourth Republic from 1993 to 2001...

 to power.

Execution

Colonel Roger Felli was one of six senior military officers who had previously served in government, executed by firing squad at the Teshie Military Range at Teshie, at the outskirts of Accra. The executions were ordered by the AFRC and carried out on June 26, 1979. The other officers executed with him were two former heads of state of Ghana

Heads of state of Ghana

Prior to independence in 1957, Ghana was known as the British colony of Gold Coast. Before then it had been divided among a number of states, by far the largest of which was the Ashanti Empire, whose rulers were known as the Asantehene....

, Gen Fred Akuffo

Fred Akuffo

Lieutenant General Frederick William Kwasi Akuffo was a soldier and politician. He is a former Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces and the Head of state and chairman of the ruling Supreme Military Council in Ghana from 1978 to 1979...

 and Lt Gen Akwasi Afrifa

Akwasi Afrifa

Brigadier Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa was a Ghanaian soldier, farmer, a traditional ruler and politician.He was the head of state of Ghana and leader of the military government in 1969 and then Chairman of the Presidential Commission between 1969 and 1970. He continued as a farmer and political activist...

 and three other military officers, namely Air Vice Marshal Boakye, Maj. Gen R.E.A. Kotei and Rear Admiral Joy Amedume. They were buried in unmarked graves at Adoagyiri near Nsawam in the Eastern Region

Eastern Region (Ghana)

The Eastern Region is one of Ghana's ten administrative regions. It covers an area of 19,323 square kilometres, which is about 8.1% of Ghana's total land area. The region is divided into administrative districts. The total number of districts were increased from 17 districts to 21...

 of Ghana.

Reburial at Navrongo

On December 27, 2001, the remains of Col. Roger Felli, along with the remains of the five executed with him and two executed a few days earlier were handed over to their families at a ceremony at the Garrison Methodist and Presbyterian Church in Accra. Raphael Felli, a USA - based attorney and nephew of Colonel Felli, is reported to have said "We're very upset, very angry, ... But our success is our revenge." His younger brother, Joe Felli, is reported to have demanded in a tribute, that relatives and sympathisers had the right to know what happened before his brother and the other seven senior officers brother were executed. He is also reported to have said that the spirit behind the Ghana's motto "Freedom and Justice" was still a guiding principle in the conduct of the nation's domestic affairs. He is reported to have said in addition that;

"We have the right to know what happened, as a nation, we must ensure that never again will we allow such acts and utter disrespect for the sanctity of life to recur in our country."

He said the only lasting legacy that Ghanaians could bequeath to the memory of Roger Felli and his colleagues was to re-dedicate and recommit our selves "to the defence of, the rule of law, the defence of our constitution, even at the peril of our lives."

He was re-buried at Navrongo, his hometown after traditional and Catholic rites.

See also

• National Redemption Council
  National Redemption Council
  The National Redemption Council was the ruling Ghana military government in from January 13, 1972 to October 9, 1975. Its chairman was Colonel I.K. Acheampong. He was also the Head of state of Ghana due to his chairmanship.-Duration of rule:...
  
  
• Supreme Military Council, Ghana
  Supreme Military Council, Ghana
  The Supreme Military Council was the ruling government of Ghana from October 9, 1975 to June 4, 1979. Its chairman was Colonel I.K. Acheampong. He was also the Head of state of Ghana due to his chairmanship.- SMC I and II :...
  
  
• Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ghana)
  Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ghana)
  The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the Ghana government official who is responsible for overseeing the country's foreign policy and international diplomacy. The minister is usually one of the most senior members of Cabinet....