1948 – 1951
1948 Riots & the Big Six
Three dead veterans, one looted city — and the spark that made independence inevitable.
On 28 February 1948, a peaceful march of unarmed Second World War veterans to Christiansborg Castle — they were petitioning for unpaid benefits — was met with police gunfire. Sergeant Cornelius Adjetey, Corporal Patrick Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey were killed. Accra exploded: five days of riots and looting left 29 dead and the business district in ashes.
The colonial government blamed the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and arrested its entire leadership — the men history remembers as the Big Six: Kwame Nkrumah, J.B. Danquah, Edward Akufo-Addo, Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey and William Ofori Atta. The Watson Commission instead blamed the system, recommending sweeping constitutional reform.
The aftermath radicalised the movement. Nkrumah broke with the cautious UGCC, founded the Convention People’s Party in 1949 with the slogan “Self-Government Now”, and launched Positive Action in 1950. Jailed for sedition, he won the 1951 election from prison — and the British had to release him to form a government. The road to independence now had no exit.
Key facts
- 28 February 1948: police kill three ex-servicemen; Accra riots follow.
- The Big Six: Nkrumah, Danquah, Akufo-Addo, Ako-Adjei, Obetsebi-Lamptey, Ofori Atta.
- Watson Commission recommends constitutional reform.
- CPP founded June 1949; Positive Action campaign 1950.
- Nkrumah wins the 1951 election from prison.
1948 Riots & the Big Six FAQs
Who were the Big Six?
The six UGCC leaders detained after the 1948 riots: Kwame Nkrumah, J.B. Danquah, Edward Akufo-Addo, Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey and William Ofori Atta. They appear on Ghana’s currency and monuments.
What caused the 1948 Accra riots?
Police fired on peacefully marching ex-servicemen demanding unpaid war benefits, killing three. The killings ignited five days of riots driven by anger at inflation, shortages and colonial rule.
How did 1948 lead to independence?
The Watson Commission forced constitutional reform; the crisis split the nationalists, letting Nkrumah launch the mass-based CPP, win the 1951 election and negotiate independence in 1957.
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