THE Ghana Armed Forces have confirmed that the remains of the victims of the Z-9 military helicopter crash, which claimed the lives of the country’s Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah, and others, arrived in Accra on Wednesday.
A statement issued by the Acting Director General, Public Relations, Ghana Navy, Captain Veronica Arhin, revealed that all eight bodies were recovered from the crash site located in the Sikaman area, near Adansi Akrofuom in Ghana’s Ashanti Region and transported aboard a Ghana Air Force Casa aircraft.
The bodies were received at the Air Force Base in Accra on August 6, 2025.
“At the Air Force Base, Accra, to receive the bodies were government functionaries, led by Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Julius Debrah, the High Command and well wishers. The bodies have since been deposited at the 37 Military Hospital in preparation for interment later” Arhin said.
The ICIR reported that Boamah and the country’s Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala died in the crash on Tuesday, in the Central Ashanti Region.
The helicopter had left Accra at 09:12am and was heading to Obuasi for an official engagement when it suddenly went off radar.
Other passengers on the ill-fated aircraft include the Deputy National Security Coordinator and former Agriculture Minister, Muniru Mohammed; and Vice-Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress party, Samuel Sarpong.
The helicopter’s crew were named as squadron leader Peter Bafemi Anala, flying officer Malin Twum-Ampadu and Sgt. Ernest Addo Mensah.
In its latest statement, the Ghana Armed Forces expressed gratitude to the people of Sikaman and the security services for their support during the recovery efforts.
“The Deputy Minister for Defence, Hon. Brogya Genfi, and the Military High Command extend their deepest condolences to the families in this difficult national tragedy,” the statement added.
The ICIR reported that as a trained medical doctor, Boamah held several key positions in government, including serving as Communications Minister during President Mahama’s 2012–2017 administration. Before then, he was Deputy Minister for the Environment.
Boamah was leading Ghana’s Defence Ministry at a time when armed groups along the country’s northern border with Burkina Faso were growing increasingly active.
He led a delegation to Ouagadougou in May, as Ghana intensified its diplomatic efforts with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, now governed by military regimes that have distanced themselves from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc.
He was preparing to release a book titled “A Peaceful Man in an African Democracy”, which chronicles the life of former President John Atta Mills, who passed away in 2012.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.