A former Chief of Air Staff, retired Air Commodore K. K. Pumpuni, has deflated the long-standing assertions that the late Jerry John Rawlings once flew an aircraft under the Adomi Bridge.
According to the former Chief of Air Staff, he was in charge of operations of the Air Force, and nothing like that happened, adding that if Rawlings had indeed flown under the Adomi Bridge, he would have court-marshalled him.
Speaking in an interview with Kafui Dey shared on X on Monday, March 9, 2026, the retired Air Commodore stated, “There was a claim that Rawlings flew under the Adomi Bridge, and I said no, he didn’t. I was in charge of the operations of the Air Force, and nothing like that happened. If it had happened, we would have court-martialled him. Nothing like that ever happened”.
“There are certain issues surrounding it, and an aircraft cannot just fly under the bridge over the water like that. I made that comment, and he heard it, and he wasn’t too happy about it. He felt I should have kept quiet, but I said no. I was asked a question, so I couldn’t have kept quiet”.
“If I had kept quiet, it would have meant I was endorsing the claim. But it wasn’t true, and you also know it’s not true. Jerry had a small problem with me after that incident, so I’ve not been able to publish my book,” he added.
Some Ghanaians reacting to Air Commodore K.K. Pumpuni(rtd) revelation stated, “Why are we trying to destroy all our stories? It started from who brought cocoa to Ghana, and now this, but we don’t question the stories of the whiteman. WHY?”.
“Why did he not say this when man was alive. Only a bloody liar waits for someone to die before he/she says something about the dead”, a netizen added.
“Finally, the truth is out. Cos which kind of aircraft did he use back then.It’s so funny that some jons believe this lie.I always say most of our history was distorted under the PNDC/ ndc regime under JJ. And it has affected the adult of today, cos that was what they were told”, a netizen added.
In related news, Retired Major General Kwamina Sam has revealed that the late former President Jerry John Rawlings would not have joined the army if not Air Force Commander’s personal decision.
According to Retired Major General Jerry John Rawlings, at the time failed his examinations and should have been disqualified, but the Air Force Commander took a personal decision to keep him as he was a good pilot.
Retired Major General explained that the commanders saw Rawlings as a nice chap whom they could handle, but it was to their own peril.
Speaking with Kafui Dey in a video shared on Facebook, Retired Major General Kwamina Sam explained, “June 4th, if anybody had told me it was coming, I wouldn’t have believed it. I just finished my service in Kumasi as commander and moved to Accra as Chief of Staff. I was then a Brigadier General”.
According to the former Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, he never met Rawlings at Achimota School, but added that he was aware of him.
“In fact, he always looked crafy to me. It was the Air Force Commander’s personal decision, despite the fact that he wasn’t passing his exams, that he was a good pilot and should be kept. If the rules had been applied, Rawlings wouldn’t have been in the service. They all thought he was a nice chap; they could handle him, to their peril,” he added.
Major General (rtd) Sam also stressed that some top military officers were needlessly and unwarrantably killed when Rawlings took over the country.
He recounted that Amedume’s crime was that he had taken an Armed Forces loan to buy a house, revealing that if that was his crime, he was also guilty.
“When they finished, what was it? Amedume’s crime was that he had taken an Armed Forces loan to buy a house. And I took an Armed Forces loan to buy this house, so I would have been guilty too, if the charge for Amedume was that he had used an Armed Forces loan to buy a house. When I bought this house, it was 34,000 cedis in the 70s.
“…when they looked at Yaw Boakye’s account, he had 4,000 cedis. So why should Yaw Boakye be killed for 4,000 cedis?” he quizzed.
In that same interview, Retired Major General Edwin Kwamina Sam recounted his experience in the condemned cells of Nsawam prison after the June 4th Uprising.
History tells us that the 1979 uprising was a dramatic turning point in Ghana’s political and military history, with late Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings staging a coup to overthrow the then-President Dr Hilla Limann’s government.
The June 4th Uprising caused significant mayhem within the military, resulting in the detention of several officers, both high-ranking and junior, by the Rawlings regime.
Retired Major General Edwin Kwamina Sam was one of the officers detained during this period.
He recounted the harsh conditions he and other military personnel endured in the aftermath of the uprising.
According to him, he spent two days at the Nsawam prison where they were served Gari, kako and raw pepper.
Watch the video below:
Rawlings DID NOT fly under the Adomi Bridge, we would have court-marshalled him if he did – Air Commodore K.K. Pumpuni(rtd)
— Kafui Dey (@KafuiDey) March 9, 2026
Full interview here https://t.co/xERqOFJATF #KafuiDeyInterviews pic.twitter.com/HPitHeWnpr