Ghana’s Defence Minister, Edward Omane Boamah, on Wednesday died in a military helicopter crash, along with four other officials and three airforcecrew, the government said.
President John Mahama’s Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, told a press conference that the crash in which Boamah, Environment, Science and Technology Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed and others were killed was a national tragedy.
“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,” Debrah said.
THISDAY learnt that aside from Boamah, the Minister for Defence and Mohammed, Minister for Environment, the names of other victims were listed as: Alhaji Muniru Mohammed – Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator; Dr Samuel Sarpong – Vice Chairman, National Democratic Congress (NDC); Mr Samuel Aboagye, former parliamentary candidate. Squadron leader Peter; Flying Officer Twum Ampadu and Sergeant Ernest Addo.
Authorities did not immediately give an explanation for what might have caused the crash. Earlier Ghana’s armed forces said radar contact had been lost with a Z9 airforce helicopter.
Boamah, a former communications minister, was tapped to serve as defence minister in January after Mahama returned to power. His replacement will take on a complex security file that includes both external and internal threats, a Reuters report said.
Like other coastal West African countries, Ghana faces threats from Islamist groups active in the Sahel that have tried to push south from landlocked Burkina Faso and Mali where they stage frequent deadly attacks.
A spokesperson for Mahama said last month that Ghana had deployed more soldiers to a northeastern region where a long-running conflict over chieftaincy has fuelled recent violence, including attacks on schools, Reuters added.
Emmanuel Addeh
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