Something doesn't add up in the August 6 plane crash – GFL Secretary General

The Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Mr Abraham Koomson, has urged President John Dramani Mahama to adopt stringent security measures to safeguard his life and that of senior government officials, warning that the tragic August 6 helicopter crash was not a simple accident but a targeted plot against the government.

Mr Koomson argued that lessons must be drawn from Ghana’s history, citing the measures introduced by the country’s first President. “Dr Nkrumah enacted the Preventive Detention Act of 1958 at a time when chiefs and politicians allegedly conspired to make his leadership fail. In this age and time, the presidency can and must adopt modernised security measures to protect the President, Vice President, Ministers of State and other high-ranking government officials.”

According to him, the August 6 crash at Adansi Akrofuom in the Ashanti Region, which claimed the lives of eight Ghanaians including two cabinet ministers, cannot be treated as a random tragedy. “Events of August 6th must not be treated as another crash. It was a targeted assassination on the government, especially the presidency. Something does not add up in the August 6th plane crash which claimed the vibrant lives of 8 hard-working personalities,” he stated.

The veteran labour leader, with more than four decades in union and civil rights advocacy, alleged that the incident was an “abortive coup attempt” against President Mahama and his administration. He maintained that the professional expertise of the Air Force crew made it unlikely that the crash was accidental, stressing that “it was a coup that failed.”

He warned the President to be cautious of threats within the political space, accusing elements of the opposition of plotting to destabilise the government. According to him, “evil machinations” were being orchestrated and are beginning to unfold.

Mr Koomson called for a full-scale investigation into the crash, insisting that unanswered questions remain. “How did it occur? Who was in charge? These are questions we cannot overlook. This cannot be treated as a mere accident,” he emphasised.

The GFL Secretary General further warned that the deaths of such high-ranking government officials, including the Minister of Defence and Environment, should not be taken lightly. "The President should exercise extra caution if there is a possibility of targeting and killing the Ministers," he said.

He suggested that President Mahama may not yet fully grasp the gravity of the threat. “Maybe the President is not aware that the crash was a plot to remove him from risk of power. The presence of certain individuals in critical positions in government is a threat to the President’s life, and he must do the needful,” Mr Koomson stressed.

The August 6 helicopter crash remains under investigation, but Mr Koomson’s claims have added new urgency to calls for heightened security around the President and his government.