The government and people of Ghana today, Friday, August 15, 2025, laid to rest victims who perished in last Wednesday’s military helicopter crash.
It was a solemn state funeral which drew tears, sadness, grief, nostalgia and heartfelt tributes.
Government officials, military leaders, grieving families, and colleagues gathered at Independence Square in a ceremony steeped in sorrow and grief.
Black-clad mourners stood in hushed reverence as the caskets, draped in the national flag, were carried in slow procession by military pallbearers – a scene that plunged the funeral grounds into uncontrollable tears.
In emotional tributes, relatives and colleagues spoke of the courage, dedication, and sacrifice of the fallen, their voices breaking under the weight of grief.
Many described the loss as not only personal but a wound to the entire nation that would never be forgotten.
The President, ministers of state, senior military officers, and dignitaries from across the globe who came to sympathise with the nation, bowed their heads in solemn respect, while tears flowed freely among family members, some clutching framed photographs of their loved ones.
After the service, the bodies were conveyed to the Military Cemetery at Tse Addo, near Burma Camp, where they were interred with full military honours – gun salutes echoing into the heavy afternoon air.
On board the Z-9 helicopter that crashed on August 6, 2025, are Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Minister of Defence, and Alhaji Dr Murtala Mohammed, the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central and Minister of Environment, Science, and Technology.
Others are: Alhaji Muniru Mohammed Limuna, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator; Samuel Sarpong, the Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress; and Samuel Aboagye, the Deputy Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).
The rest are Squadron Leader Peter Anala of the Ghana Air Force, Flying Officer Twum Ampadu of the Ghana Air Force, and Sergeant Ernest Addo of the Ghana Air Force.
They were on their way to Obuasi for a national assignment on illegal mining, also known as galamsey, an existential threat to Ghana, when the aircraft crashed at Sikaman in the Adansi District in the Ashanti Region.
Addressing the nation at the funeral, President John Dramani Mahama posthumously promoted the three military officers who lost their lives in the crash.
The President announced the promotion of the late Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala to the rank of Wing Commander; the late Flying Officer- Manaen Twum Ampadu to the rank of Flight Lieutenant, and the late Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah to the rank of Flight Sergeant.
The President also announced the creation of a Children’s Support Fund for the children of the victims of the crash.
He said the purpose of the fund was to ensure that the children left behind would not be deprived of the opportunities, care, and security that their parents provided for them.
“What we can do, each of us in our own way as we try to come to terms with this tragic loss, is to move in the direction of peace within our communities and families, having been reminded of how fragile life can be,” the President said.
The loss of the eight victims, though a tragic helicopter crash, became a moment of unity – drawing the nation together in shared grief and collective remembrance. In mourning side by side, Ghanaians found strength in one another, honouring the fallen not only with tears, but with a renewed bond of national solidarity.
