The presidency on Thursday,August 7, held a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Ceremonial Gardens of Jubilee House in memory of eight individuals who died in a military helicopter crash earlier this week, including two senior cabinet ministers.
The event marked the second day of a three-day period of national mourning following Wednesday’s crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region. Among those killed were Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, both key figures in President John Dramani Mahama’s administration.
President Mahama, Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia were among senior officials in attendance. Family members of the victims, military personnel, and members of the public also gathered to lay wreaths in tribute.
“This is an immeasurable loss for our country,” President Mahama said during the ceremony, describing the crash as “one of the darkest moments in our recent history.”
The helicopter was operated by the Ghana Armed Forces and went down during a routine mission, though further details about the cause of the crash have not been released.
In addition to the two ministers, the victims included Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed, former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, and NDC National Vice Chairman Dr. Samuel Sarpong.
Dr. Muhammed also served as the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central and was widely regarded as a rising figure in Ghanaian politics.
The period of national mourning will culminate on Saturday with an “Evening of Reflections and Memorials” at the Forecourt of the State House in Accra. State funeral and burial arrangements are expected to be announced in the coming days.
