C. D. Benni

Lieutenant Colonel Chemogo Dodzil Benni is a Ghanaian soldier, politician and diplomat. He was a member of the National Redemption Council (NRC) military government which ruled Ghana between January 1972 and October 1975.

Early life and education Benni was born at Nandom, now in the Upper West Region of Ghana where the Dagaaba people are located. His secondary school education was at the Government Secondary School at Tamale between 1954 and 1958.

Military career Benni enlisted in the Ghana Army in 1959. He underwent training at the Ghana Military Academy at Teshie, near Accra. He then proceeded to the Indian Military Academy at Dehra Dun for further studies between 1960 and 1962. In May 1973, he led the delegation which arranged for the return of the body of Kwame Nkrumah from Guinea to Ghana where Nkrumah had been living in exile since the coup of 24 February 1966.

He was dropped when the NRC was replaced by the Supreme Military Council to accommodate the most senior military officers in government. He was also appointed the Commissioner for information in January 1972.

Diplomatic service During the era of the Supreme Military Council, Benni was appointed as Ghana's ambassador to Liberia and in 1979, reappointed as ambassador with concurrent accreditation to Togo and Benin.