President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday, August 7, 2025, led a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Ceremonial Gardens of Jubilee House in honour of the eight individuals who died in Wednesday’s tragic military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region.
The ceremony marked the beginning of a three-day national mourning period declared by the government to honour the deceased, which included two senior government ministers—Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed—as well as top military officers and party officials.
Also present at the event were Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia, members of the Council of State, bereaved family members, friends, government officials, members of the security services, and the general public. All gathered to pay their respects through symbolic wreath-laying in remembrance of the fallen.
The tragic crash, which has been described as one of the darkest moments in Ghana’s recent history, occurred on Wednesday, August 6, when a Ghana Armed Forces aircraft went down in the Adansi Akrofuom District. The incident has sparked widespread grief across the country and renewed calls for national reflection on the safety of high-level government operations.
Among the eight victims were Dr. Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence; Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and Member of Parliament for Tamale Central; Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed; former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye; and NDC National Vice Chairman Dr. Samuel Sarpong.
The crash also claimed the lives of three personnel from the Ghana Air Force: Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
The national mourning will continue until Saturday, August 9, culminating in an “Evening of Reflections and Memorials” at the Forecourt of the State House. State funeral and burial arrangements for the deceased are expected to be announced in the coming days.
