Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has recounted how the late Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Ghana’s Minister of Defence, had long harboured deep reservations about helicopter travel—only boarding one for the first time days before the August 6 crash that claimed his life.
Dr. Boamah was among eight people killed in the Sikaman military helicopter disaster in the Ashanti Region. Other victims included Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed; NDC Vice Chairman, Dr. Samuel Sarpong; Deputy NADMO Director-General, Samuel Aboagye; and three military officers.
Read Also: Possible Foreign Involvement Suspected in Military Helicopter Crash - Palgrave Boakye-Danquah
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, August 11, Muntaka revealed that just a week before the tragedy, he had discussed helicopter travel with Dr. Boamah.
He recalled that the President had urgently dispatched him to Tamale for official duties, prompting him to request a military helicopter. In the process, he contacted the Air Force Commander—who was well aware of Dr. Boamah’s aversion to helicopters.
“The week before the incident, the President asked me to go to Tamale urgently. I called the Air Force Commander to prepare the helicopter. But he reacted sharply, saying, ‘Muntaka, I don’t know what is wrong with you. Why are you using this helicopter? I’ve told you I’m not comfortable with this; why not use the CASA?’”
The CASA, a larger and more stable military aircraft capable of carrying over 40 passengers, seemed excessive for just two people, Muntaka admitted.
“I said it would be a waste,” he recalled. “But the late Defence Minister told me, ‘Your safety is more important than the cost you’re thinking about.’”
It was that same reasoning, Muntaka said, that led Dr. Boamah to finally board a helicopter—reluctantly, but with resolve—on a mission linked to the government’s intensified fight against illegal mining.
“Despite all his reservations, despite never having flown in one before, the first time he did, he never returned,” Muntaka said, his voice heavy with emotion. “You understand why we are devastated. He made it clear he was uncomfortable with the helicopter, but he had given the President his word that he would give everything to this fight.”
Story By: Afia Ohenewaa Akyerem