The state funeral for victims of the tragic helicopter crash will be held today, Friday, August 15, at the Black Star Square in Accra, with the bodies of six victims already at the venue.
Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Stan Dogbey, outlined the programme during a press conference on Thursday, August 14, noting that the ceremony will be primarily a military service led by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and divided into three main parts.
“The service would largely be a military service, it would be conducted by the Ghana Armed Forces and there will be three parts to the funeral programme. We would have the three burial services during which period some tributes would be read, we would have Quran recitations during that period.
And the second part would be the main funeral and burial service. The pre-burial will start from 7:30 am and would continue to 9:00 am. We expect the Vice President to arrive at the funeral grounds at 8:50 am in the morning and that will be followed by the President at 9:00 am, where the state service will begin.
The service is programmed to last for approximately three hours, during which period we would take the biographies of the departed eight, colleagues, parents, and siblings. After the biography, we will take tributes from the widows, and then also tributes from the children,” he stated.
Mr Dogbey added that tributes from senior government officials and institutions associated with the victims would be read before 9:00 am. After the state service, the bodies of the six victims yet to be buried will be conveyed to the military cemetery at Tse Addo for interment.
“After the service, the bodies of the six that are yet to be buried would be conveyed to the military cemetery at Tse Addo for burial. And there as well, the GAF together with the churches of the six departed comrades will take charge of the burial ceremony at the military cemetery,” he said.
He emphasised that arrangements had been made to ensure order and solemnity, with labelled canopies, early arrival encouraged, and restrictions on movement within the inner perimeter. Security will be heavily deployed for the safety of mourners, with designated parking areas and buses to transport family members to the cemetery.
On media coverage, Mr Dogbey confirmed that only accredited journalists—specifically camera operators, videographers, and photographers—will be allowed into the special media zone within the inner perimeter.
The burial for the two Muslim victims, former Minister for Environment Dr Ibrahim Muhammed Murtala and former Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Muniru Limuna Mohammed, took place earlier on Sunday, August 10, at the Forecourt of the State House.
