The grief was palpable at the forecourt of the State House on Friday, August 15, as the widows of three military officers who died in the August 6 Sikaman helicopter crash delivered heart-wrenching tributes to their loved ones.
The interdenominational state funeral brought together senior government officials, members of the security services, foreign dignitaries, and ordinary Ghanaians to honour the memory of the eight distinguished individuals who perished while serving their country.
The crash, which occurred in a forested area within the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region, claimed the lives of – Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah; Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed; Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Muniru Mohammed Limuna; NDC Vice Chairman Dr. Samuel Sarpong; and Deputy NADMO Director-General and former Obuasi East parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye.
Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala; Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu; and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah also tragically lost their lives. The delegation had been en route to Obuasi to launch the government’s Cooperative Mining Initiative – part of a renewed national drive to combat illegal small-scale mining – when tragedy struck.
Sergeant Mensah’s Wife Mourns
For Mrs. Ernestina Mensah, the widow of Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah, the ceremony was both a moment of public mourning and a deeply personal farewell.
Married for just a month before the tragedy, she recalled her husband’s devotion and their final conversation. “Mankyɛ, it has been days, and you have not called at 5 a.m. for us to pray,” she recounted tearfully.
“On that Wednesday morning, I called you and told you I woke up feeling very sad. We prayed, and you said you had your flight to Obuasi and you would be back. I am still waiting. I don’t know how long I will wait, but I will still wait.
“Shame on you, death, you have not won. Christ has, because Ernest died knowing Him as his Lord and Saviour. You will forever be my hero, forever in my thoughts, never to die”
Mrs. Ernestina Mensah, Widow of Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah
Her voice, though breaking, carried a message of hope rooted in faith.
Flying Officer Ampadu’s Wife
Naval Lieutenant Awura Adjoa Kumi-Kyere, wife of Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, struggled to contain her emotions as she remembered a love story that ended far too soon.
The couple met in 2022, a moment she described as transformative. She spoke of the officer’s quiet strength, generosity, and unwavering devotion.
“Who could ever have imagined that death would separate us so quickly? Everyone looks at me and says how composed I am, but I can do this because of you and of our love.
“Manaen, you were truly your name to me. You were my best friend, my ‘gisting’ partner, my everything. We had so many plans, dreams, and ideas that are now shattered”
Naval Lieutenant Awura Adjoa Kumi-Kyere, wife of Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu
Her tribute ended with a coded message of affection, a poignant reminder of their unique bond.
Squadron Leader Anala’s Wife
For Ursula Wematu Asaghedewe, wife of Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, the loss was both professional and deeply personal.
With a newborn daughter barely two months old, she described her husband as a devoted family man and a selfless officer.
“Bafemi – this is not the time the Bible spoke about. From the moment I met you, my life has never been the same. My husband was a hardworking man; I have never seen a person more dedicated to his work”
Ursula Wematu Asaghedewe, Wife of Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala
She recalled the bittersweet moments they shared after the birth of their daughter, Wenlie Wesoamo Anala. Her grief was punctuated by questions of how to raise their daughter without him.
“Two weeks of endless kisses on Wenlie’s little face – I did not want you to leave, but you promised me that, come rain or shine, you would return in October for her christening. Those cannot be the last words you ever said to me!”
Ursula Wematu Asaghedewe, Wife of Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala
The Ministry of Defence described the fallen officers as “patriots who embodied the finest traditions of service to Ghana.” The ceremony, marked by full military honours, was a solemn acknowledgment of the sacrifices made by the deceased in the line of duty.
The widows’ tributes cut through the formalities, offering raw glimpses into the personal lives of men whose final mission was tied to a national cause.
As the coffins draped in the national flag were carried away for burial, the mood at the State House was one of collective grief – but also a shared recognition that the nation’s debt to its fallen heroes can never truly be repaid.
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