Obuasi was engulfed in grief on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, as residents, family, and political leaders gathered for a solemn candlelight vigil in memory of the late Samuel Aboagye, former NDC parliamentary candidate for Obuasi East, who perished in the August 6 military helicopter crash.
The vigil, organised by the NDC Obuasi East Constituency executives, brought together scores of mourners to honour all eight victims of the tragic accident, which claimed the lives of top government officials and military personnel.
Constituents from both Obuasi East and West, regardless of political affiliation, joined in lighting candles and offering prayers for the departed.
Emotions ran high as the NDC Constituency Chairman mounted the stage to pay his respects. Overcome with sorrow, he broke down in tears while recalling his close relationship with Samuel Aboagye and eulogising him as a selfless leader whose impact on the community was profound.
Other mourners, including children and the elderly, wept openly, describing Aboagye’s passing as a devastating blow to the Municipality.
Aboagye, aged 34, was the youngest of six siblings. He leaves behind his wife and two daughters. His death, alongside that of Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Limuna Muniru, former Ashanti Regional Minister Dr. Samuel Sarpong, and three Ghana Armed Forces officers, has plunged the nation into mourning.
The victims were en route to Obuasi for the launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP), an anti-galamsey initiative, when their Z-9 military helicopter crashed into a forest in the Adansi Akrofuom District in the Ashanti Region.
Two of the victims, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed and Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed, were buried on August 10 in accordance with Islamic rites.
The remaining six, including former Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, will be laid to rest under full military honours at a state funeral on Friday, August 15, 2025.
The candlelight vigil in Obuasi stood as a powerful testament to the grief of a community and a nation grappling with a tragedy that cut short the lives of some of its most dedicated servants.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
