Two out of the eight victims of the helicopter crash that occurred on August 6, 2025, have been laid to rest.
Dr. Murtala Mohammed, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, and Alhaji Muniru Limuna Mohammed were buried on Sunday, August 10, 2025, in accordance with Islamic rites. Jannaza Prayers were held for the deceased at the State House Forecourt at 2:00 pm before their remains were taken to the Military Cemetery at Tse Addo, Accra, for burial.
National Chief Imam Sheikh Osman Nuhu Shaributu led the ceremony, which was attended by President John Dramani Mahama, Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, senior government officials, the families of the deceased, and other mourners.
In his remarks, President John Dramani Mahama expressed gratitude to the families for their patience, explaining that the incident complicated identification procedures, necessitating DNA analysis in South Africa.
Following successful identification, authorities received confirmation on Saturday, August 9, 2025, enabling the burial.
The President commended the families for agreeing to the military cemetery burial and assured them of unrestricted access to the graves.
He paid tribute to the deceased, praying that Allah grant them paradise.
“I want to thank the two families for their patience. We recognize that in Islam, when a person has died, they are supposed to be interred as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the state in which the bodies were made it difficult for us to identify positively which was which, and that’s why we had to go through the scientific process of identifying. Happily, that process was ended yesterday, and we received electronically the forensic results for our two brothers, and that’s why we have come to bury ahead.
As I speak, the forensic report for the rest have also arrived, and so, in consultation with their families, we will decide how the families are able to hold separate events to commemorate their loved ones, and the government will be there to assist them.”
The two brothers, Murtala and Muniru, were very close to me: Murtala I mentored from when he was a new MP at Nanton and he had been a devout member of our team, one of our very bright intellectuals, very eloquent in parliament, and he had been part of our reset agenda. Muniru was like a younger brother; he was a permanent fixture in my house and acted all out like my personal assistant. I sent him on errands, and so this is a very deep personal loss for me. But I know that they were Muslims and very devoted Muslims, and so I believe by Allah’s grace he will receive them in Jannah-tul Firdaus.”
