Helicopter crash: Murtala and Alhaji Muniru, to be laid to rest today.

The funeral rites for Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and MP for Tamale Central, and Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, are slated for today, Sunday, August 10.

As per Islamic tradition, Janazah prayers will take place at 2:00 p.m. at the Forecourt of the State House in Accra, followed by burial at 2:30 p.m. at the Military Cemetery, Accra.

A three-day national mourning period was declared by the government, starting from Thursday, August 7, which included a flower-laying ceremony.

Moreover, an evening of reflection and memorial service was held in their honour on Saturday, August 9.

The helicopter crash on Wednesday, August 6, led to the demise of Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence, and Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation.

Others confirmed deceased included Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator; Samuel Aboagye, former parliamentary candidate; and Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The crew members who perished in the crash were Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.

Earlier, the Ghana Armed Forces reported that the Z-9 helicopter, carrying three crew members and five passengers, had gone “off the radar.”

At 09:12 local time (GMT), the aircraft departed Accra and was bound for Obuasi to participate in an anti-illegal mining event. The aircraft’s disappearance triggered an immediate search-and-rescue operation, which later confirmed that all eight people on board had succumbed to fatal injuries.

The eight victims were:

• Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence

• Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and MP for Tamale Central

• Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator

• Dr. Samuel Sarpong, National Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)

• Samuel Aboagye, former parliamentary candidate

• Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala

• Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu

• Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah