Helicopter crash was a failed coup plot against Mahama — GFL boss alleges

The Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has alleged that the August 6 helicopter crash in Adansi Akrofuom, which killed eight senior government and military officials, was not a tragic accident but part of a failed coup attempt to topple President John Dramani Mahama.

The crash claimed the lives of Defence Minister Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah; Minister for Environment, Science and Technology and MP for Tamale Central, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed; Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Muniru Mohammed Limuna; First National Vice Chairman of the NDC, Dr. Samuel Sarpong; and Deputy NADMO Director-General Samuel Aboagye.

Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Yepe Ahunu show on Saturday, August 16, 2025, Mr. Koomson said the circumstances surrounding the tragedy point to a broader plot against the government.

“It was a coup that failed because, despite the training of the pilots, they couldn’t bring it under control,” he alleged, insisting that the professionalism and experience of the crew made it difficult to accept that the incident was a mere accident.

He called on President Mahama to take tougher security precautions, drawing parallels with measures adopted by Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, when his government came under threat. Koomson reminded listeners that Nkrumah enacted the Preventive Detention Act of 1958 to counter suspected plots against his rule.

Mr. Koomson further accused the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) of orchestrating “evil machinations” to destabilise the Mahama administration.

“Maybe the President is not aware that the crash was a plot to remove him from power. The presence of certain individuals in critical positions in government is a risk to the President’s life, and he must do the needful,” he stressed.

The labour leader demanded a comprehensive investigation into the crash, arguing that key questions remain unanswered.

“How did it occur? Who was in charge? These are questions we cannot overlook. This cannot be treated as a mere accident,” he emphasised.

He also warned that the deaths of such high-ranking officials underscored the seriousness of the threat. “If the Minister of Defence could be targeted and killed, then the President needs to be extra cautious,” he cautioned.

The tragedy has already triggered widespread calls for an independent inquiry, with the public demanding clarity on the circumstances leading to what President Mahama has described as a “national tragedy.”