Ghanan Defence and Environment Ministers have been killed in helicopter crash.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that Ghana is in mourning following the tragic deaths of Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, who were among eight people killed in a helicopter crash on Wednesday, according to an official statement from the Presidency of Ghana.
The Ghana Armed Forces had earlier reported that the military chopper, carrying three crew members and five passengers, vanished from radar shortly after taking off from Accra around 9:00 am local time. The aircraft was en route to Obuasi, a town northwest of the capital.
Authorities confirmed that no survivors were found.
Presidency Confirms Loss of Top Officials
“The president and government extend our condolences and sympathies to the families of our comrades and the servicemen who died in service to the country,” said Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff to President John Mahama.
President Mahama has suspended official engagements, and the national flag will fly at half-staff in honour of the deceased.
Key National Figures Among the Dead
Alongside Boamah and Muhammed, the crash also claimed the lives of:
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Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, Ghana’s Deputy National Security Coordinator and former Agriculture Minister
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Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Boamah’s Role in Ghana’s Security Landscape
A trained medical doctor, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah was appointed defence minister earlier this year and had previously served as Communications Minister during Mahama’s 2012–2017 administration. He also held the position of Deputy Minister for Environment.
Boamah was steering the Defence Ministry at a time when concerns were rising about jihadist activity from neighbouring Burkina Faso spilling into northern Ghana. While Ghana has remained relatively stable, analysts have warned about increased arms trafficking and militant infiltration from the Sahel.
Boamah recently led a high-level diplomatic mission to Ouagadougou in May, part of Ghana’s strategic outreach to the military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, countries that have cut ties with ECOWAS.
He had also been preparing to launch a book titled “A Peaceful Man in an African Democracy”, a tribute to the late President John Atta Mills, who died in 2012.
National Shock as Tributes Pour In
The sudden loss of senior government figures has sent shockwaves across the nation. Analysts say the crash is a significant blow to President Mahama’s administration, especially amid regional instability and internal development efforts.
The exact cause of the crash remains unknown, and investigations by the Ghana Air Force are underway.