In an interview with Kafui Dey aired on March 23, 2026, Pratt disclosed that former British High Commissioner to Ghana, AW Snelling, had allegedly sent a cable to the British government in September 1961 encouraging them to accelerate plans to remove Nkrumah from office.
According to Pratt, Snelling believed Nkrumah was increasing political awareness among Africans and making them more politically conscious.
“AW Snelling sent a cable to his home government, urging them to speed up the process of toppling Nkrumah. He said they had to get rid of Nkrumah because he was making the Africans too politically conscious. This was back on September 21, 1961,” he said.
Pratt also spoke about his conversation with former Inspector-General of Police Anthony Deku, who allegedly played a role in the coup plot.
According to him, Deku acknowledged Nkrumah’s exceptional leadership qualities but explained that he joined the conspiracy because refusing to participate could have cost him his life.
“He answers that if he hadn’t joined the conspiracy, he would have been killed. The people who were planning to overthrow Nkrumah were so vicious that they had reached the point of desperation.
And when he was contacted, he had only two choices — survival or death. And survival meant going along with the conspiracy,” Pratt explained.
The veteran journalist also argued that the role of Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka in the overthrow has often been overstated.
Instead, Pratt identified Major Quarshie, who was then based at the 37 Military Hospital, as a key figure in organizing the coup.
He claimed that Quarshie’s residence served as the principal gathering point where the coup plotters coordinated their plans against Nkrumah.
Pratt’s comments have renewed public discussion about the historical causes of the 1966 coup and the extent of foreign influence and internal military involvement in the removal of Ghana’s first president.