Monday, August 11, is the final day to return any debris or personal effects taken from the site of the Ghana Armed Forces helicopter crash in Adansi Akrofuom. Anyone found in possession of such items after the deadline will face prosecution.
According to the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (ARCC), intelligence gathered indicates that some residents collected fragments of the Z-9 Air Force helicopter and belongings of the victims in the immediate aftermath of the August 6 tragedy. The ARCC stressed that no item is too small to return — from screws and pieces of metal to circuit boards or personal effects.
To encourage compliance, a cash reward is being offered to anyone who voluntarily hands over recovered items before the close of today. Returns can be made through Unit Committee members, Assembly Members, Municipal or District Chief Executives, or directly to members of the investigative team working at the crash site.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has confirmed that both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the downed aircraft have been recovered. Addressing the nation on Thursday, August 7 — a day after the accident — he assured the public that the Ghana Armed Forces has launched a full and transparent investigation, overseen by an Investigative Board of Inquiry, to establish the cause of the crash that claimed eight lives.
“As we mourn, questions about the cause of this tragedy are natural and important,” the president said.
The national mourning period included a solemn “Evening of Reflections and Memorials” on Saturday, August 9, at the Forecourt of the State House. Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang urged Ghanaians to channel their grief into a renewed commitment to the nation’s progress.
“This is not a time for perfect words nor a time for the right thoughts, because there are none,” she told the gathering. “It is a time for wishing our colleagues, who have perished in the line of duty, peaceful rest. It is a time for praying for comfort for their families and for everyone. It is a time too for the rest of us… to renew our pledge to work in ways that truly advance our country as they have tried to do.”
President Mahama, also addressing mourners, expressed hope that the tragedy would not drive the nation into despair but instead inspire unity and remembrance.
“I pray that the cherished memories of these, our loved ones, will serve as a guiding light, illuminating a path through the darkness and devastation of this national tragedy,” he said. “I stand before you tonight additionally, and quite humbly, as a person who is also personally grieving the departed. Each of the eight persons in that helicopter was either a friend, a cherished colleague, or a valued citizen of this country that I lead.”
The mourning period began on Thursday, August 7, with a public ceremony at the Ceremonial Garden in front of the Presidency, where flowers were laid and candles lit in honour of the victims. On both August 7 and 8, President Mahama, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, relatives, and members of the public gathered to pay tribute to those lost in the crash.
