The Defence Press Corps has released a poignant video capturing Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah’s final moments at the Air Force Base — a solemn farewell to a statesman whose life was cut short together with other government officials in last Wednesday’s military helicopter crash.
In the footage, Dr. Omane Boamah, dressed in white apparel is seen sharing warm handshakes and brief exchanges with Air Force personnel before boarding the aircraft. His composure reflected a man dedicated to duty until the very end.
Just minutes after that calm farewell, the mission turned to tragedy when the helicopter crashed in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region, claiming the lives of Dr. Omane Boamah, Environment Minister, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and six others — among them senior security officials and Air Force crew.
Dr. Omane Boamah, dressed in pure white, smiled and waved as the helicopter lifted off from the Air Force Base — a moment etched in memory. 🚁🤍 #GhanaMourns #CitiNewsroom pic.twitter.com/qqDh1bzT0E
The ill-fated journey was meant to take the delegation to Obuasi for the launch of the Responsible Co-operative Mining and Skills Development Programme (COMSDEP), an initiative aimed at curbing illegal mining.
The helicopter crash on Wednesday, August 6, claimed the lives of Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence, and Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation.
Others confirmed dead were 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 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.”
The aircraft departed Accra at 09:12 local time (GMT) and was heading to Obuasi for an anti-illegal mining event. Its disappearance triggered an immediate search-and-rescue operation, which later confirmed that all eight people aboard had died.
