President John Dramani Mahama has shed tears while laying a wreath in honour of the eight victims of the tragic military helicopter crash.
The government of Ghana held a solemn wreath-laying ceremony on Thursday, August 7, at the Jubilee House.
The wreath-laying ceremony was in honour of the eight victims of the recent military helicopter crash that devastated the nation.
It was part of Ghana’s three-day national mourning period.
The event took place at the Ceremonial Garden in front of the Presidency.
President John Dramani Mahama, Vice President Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman and other Senior government officials, Senior NDC members, family members of the deceased, military personnel, and members of the public, all united in grief and remembrance.
Wreaths were laid, and a quiet respect settled over the grounds, reflecting the deep loss.
The three-day national mourning will end on Saturday, 9 August, with an Evening of Reflections and Memorials at the State House.
Ghana lost eight people, including Dr Omane Boamah and Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, two cabinet members who passed away following a helicopter crash at Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region on Wednesday, August 6.
The helicopter was carrying eight individuals, including three crew members and five passengers, among them the ministers, a presidential staffer identified as Samuel Sarpong, and the ministers’ security detail.
Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, and Samuel Aboagye, a former Parliamentary Candidate, and Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of NDC, have all been confirmed dead.
The crew members are Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
Meanwhile, Shamima Muslim, the deputy Presidential Spokesperson, has revealed that President John Dramani Mahama is completely heartbroken following the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight Ghanaians.
According to Shamima Muslim, President Mahama is grieving the loss of some of his closest and most trusted allies.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, August 7, Ms Muslim stated, “To the President of the Republic, who is completely heartbroken that some of his best and brightest and closest confidants have had to depart this world in such a devastatingly painful way.”
“But who are we to question the will of the Almighty? He burdens not a soul beyond his capacity,” she added.
She added, “What we would also seek from all of you is to continuously bear the President up in prayer. All of us as appointees will come and go, and yes, our lives are not assured as citizens and as humans.”
“Bear the President in prayer, that he may not be confounded by the heaviness of the crown he wears. It is the will of God. We accept it unquestioningly, but we pray to the Almighty that He who has given us a heavy burden will grant all of us the strength to walk the path.”
Shamima Muslim further thanked Ghanaians for their outpouring of support during this period of national mourning.
She added, “I’d like to first of all say thank you to the people of Ghana, to all of you for the outpouring of love, of support, of sympathies that you have shared. “It has gone a long way in easing the hollowness in the hearts of the family, especially the spouses.”
She further revealed that some adult children of the victims are aware of the situation, but some of the younger children do not know what has happened as yet.
Shamima Muslim, in a separate interview on Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, August 7, 2025, also pleaded with Ghanaians and the media platforms to delete the harrowing visuals from various networks.
She added, “We pray that the media continue to do a dignified coverage of the disaster. We have pleaded for platforms to delete the harrowing visuals from various networks so that we can provide dignified coverage and still balance the need for the public to know what happened, respecting the family and their spouses.”
“We will communicate in real time the various actions that we are going to be taking,” she noted. “It is safe to say that we are all doing what it takes to ease the pain for the families, the government, and put in place all the necessary plans.”
“There is a planning committee at work to ensure a smooth process towards what should be a very simple process,” she said.
Watch the video below:
President John Dramani Mahama sheds tears while laying a wreath in honour of the eight victims of the tragic military helicopter crash.#TV3GH pic.twitter.com/cUBAw0fkLk
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) August 7, 2025