Activities at the Kumasi Heroes Park came to an abrupt halt on Friday after a court injunction stopped preparations for the funeral of Ghanaian highlife icon, Charles Kwadwo Fosu, popularly known as Daddy Lumba.
A team of decorators who had begun setting up the funeral grounds were left stranded following news that the Accra High Court had restrained the family head (Abusuapanyin), Kofi Owusu, from proceeding with burial arrangements.
The team is reportedly considering packing up their materials and vacating the venue until further notice.
The injunction, secured by members of Daddy Lumba’s maternal family, also directed Transitions Funeral Home not to release the musician’s body while the substantive case remains before the court.
According to the ruling, affidavits suggested that the immediate family had been sidelined in planning the funeral.
The court acknowledged concerns that delaying the burial could increase costs but stressed that proper consultation and due process must be followed.
While affirming the traditional authority of the family head to lead funeral arrangements, the judge emphasized that such authority must be exercised in collaboration with the close relatives of the deceased.
The court further instructed Kofi Owusu to convene a stakeholder meeting within three weeks to agree on a new burial date. It also ordered that all funds raised for the funeral be kept separate from accounts belonging to the Daddy Lumba Memorial Foundation. The applicants were directed to file an affidavit with the court registrar.
The dispute follows disagreements that emerged after Daddy Lumba’s death on July 26, 2025, at age 60.
Tensions between his maternal family and the family head over leadership of the funeral and management of funds escalated, highlighting long-standing Akan customs that grant significant authority to the maternal lineage in burial matters.
With the injunction in force, all preparations at Kumasi Heroes Park remain on hold as stakeholders await further directives.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Isaac Justice Bediako
