President John Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has announced the creation of a dedicated fund to support the needs of the children of the eight (8) Ghanaians who lost their lives in the tragic helicopter crash on August 6, 2025.
Speaking at the final funeral rites of the Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, President Mahama emphasised the need to protect the victims’ dependants from hardship.
The President specifically mentioned the two-month-old child of the military pilot, Peter Baafemi.
The decisive move by government comes few days after the accident involving a Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter which claimed the lives of two Ministers of State and six other individuals who were attending a government function in Obuasi.
Those on board were Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah; Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Alhaji Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice Chairman, Dr. Samuel Sarpong, Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Muniru Limuna Mohammed, and former NDC parliamentary candidate for Obuasi East, Samuel Aboagye.
The rest were Squadron Leader Peter Baafemi Anala, Flying Officer Twum Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah – all serving officers of the Ghana Armed Forces who died in the line of duty.
A state burial was held on Sunday, August 10, 2025 at the Forecourt of the State House for the late Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and Alhaji Muniru Limuna Mohammed, who were later buried at the Military Cemetery at Tse Addo in Accra, in line with Islamic tradition.
President Mahama, speaking during the funeral rites of Alhaji Limuna yesterday, highlighted the enormous loss occasioned by the accident and the responsibilities that came with it on both government and citizens.
“It’s a difficult calamity because, if you look at all those who died, they were at the prime of their lives and had so much responsibility, children still in school, and some even with infants as young as two months,” the President highlighted.
He said the responsibilities “are what we have to take up to make sure that the absence of the parents does not adversely affect the innocent children.”
President Mahama disclosed that a state funeral would be held for all the eight victims, and further stated that full details of the fund which is intended to assist with the victims’ children would be officially unveiled at the event.
“At the funeral, we will announce a programme for creating a fund that will assist with the education of their children,” the President said, while indicating that persons who want to contribute to the future of the children left behind would have the opportunity to do so.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak