The widow of Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala delivered a poignant tribute Friday during a state funeral in Accra, honoring the eight individuals who died in the Sikaman military helicopter crash earlier this month.

“Bafemi, you’ve left me broken,” she said, addressing mourners gathered for the interdenominational ceremony. Her words captured the emotional gravity of the moment, as family members, government officials, and military personnel paid their final respects.

Squadron Leader Anala was among the crew of the Ghana Air Force helicopter that went down on August 6 in a remote forested area in the Adansi Akrofrom District of the Ashanti Region. The aircraft was en route to Obuasi, where a government delegation was scheduled to launch the Cooperative Mining Initiative—a flagship economic development program.

Two other crew members, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah, also lost their lives in the crash.

The tragedy claimed the lives of several senior government officials, including Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah; Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed; Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Muniru Mohammed; NDC Vice Chairman Dr. Samuel Sarpong; and Samuel Aboagye, Deputy Director-General of NADMO and former parliamentary candidate for Obuasi East.

Squadron Leader Anala, remembered by colleagues for his professionalism and dedication, had served with distinction in the Ghana Air Force. His widow’s tribute served as a stark reminder of the personal losses behind the national tragedy.

Below is the full tribute by Squadron Leader Anala’s wife:

Bafemi, the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3 that there is a time for everything under the sun: a time for planting and a time for harvest, a time to be born and a time to die… But Peter, this is not the time the Bible spoke about.

Bafemi, as I affectionately called him, was my answered prayer. From the moment I met him, my life has never been the same. My husband was a hardworking man; I have never seen a person more dedicated to his work. Peter told me that he would never allow me to lift a finger because he would lift both hands for us, and true to his word, I have not had to struggle for anything.

Peter took care of his family, just as he took care of his friends. He did everything to make sure my life was comfortable. My husband was a go-to person for everyone who knew him, sacrificing and laying down his life to come through for anyone in need.

Anyone who knows Peter knows that he would go hungry for the sake of his loved ones. Two months ago, when you held my hand in the delivery room through the birth of our beautiful baby, Wenlie Wesoamo Anala, we had new hope for our future and expectations for our family and the life we wanted her to have.

Ahh, Bafemi, I expected you to stay with me for at least a month to help us settle into our new reality, but for the love you had for our country, you had only just a week to spend with us. Before you left, Wenlie held you back for an extra week because she was not feeling well. Now I know why she was holding you back from returning to Ghana.

But for your dedication to your work, you had to make the most difficult sacrifice, to go and serve our
country, leaving behind a sick new baby and a new mother who was still healing.

Aaaah, Peter, two weeks only? Oh, what two weeks those were! Two weeks of endless kisses on Wenlie’s little face. I have never seen a broader smile than in the little time you spent with her. I did not want you to leave, but you promised me that, come rain or shine, you would return in October for Wenlie’s christening.

Eiiiiii, God! What am I going to tell her in a few years when she starts asking for her father? How do I explain that the hardships she is about to face, being fatherless, were not the life we planned for her when we brought her into this world?

How do I keep her from learning about your traumatic last moments? How do I give her the life we planned for her all alone? Every morning, you would record a video of yourself telling me how your
day would be, and all the exciting things and places you would go.

“My love, I will call you back when we are back in Accra. Love youuuu.”

Those cannot be the last words you ever said to me! I am missing a few morning videos. Kindly send me all the videos you have not sent since 7th August.

Aaaahhh, Bafemi, you left me broken! This was not the plan, Peter. This was not it! Bafemi, please come back. Please come and hold me and tell me this was all a very terrible nightmare and that it is over now.

I am supposed to be consoled with the fact that you died knowing God and that there is rest for you until we meet again. But I cannot come to terms with this. I will forever cherish the moments I spent with you, and I certainly cannot wait for that glorious reunion.

Bafemi, my love,
Journey well.
I love you