Wives of late Mills, Amissah-Arthur missing at state funeral for Gallant 8

Ghana’s collective grief was on full display on Friday, August 15, 2025, as the nation gathered at the Black Star Square to bid farewell to the eight distinguished citizens who lost their lives in the August 6 military helicopter crash.

The solemn ceremony drew political leaders, diplomats, the clergy, military officers, and thousands of ordinary Ghanaians in a show of national unity and mourning.

But while the occasion brought together an unusual mix of political heavyweights and former leaders, two conspicuous absence did not escape public notice: former First Lady Ernestina Naadu Mills and former Second Lady Matilda Amissah-Arthur.

Notable Absence

The wives of the late President John Evans Atta Mills and the late Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, who both served alongside John Mahama during his first administration, were expected by many to be present at the state funeral.

Their absence raised quiet murmurs among mourners, given the symbolic significance of the event and their shared history with the current tragedy.

In contrast, other former First and Second Ladies were present: Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, and Samira Bawumia, who all paid their respects alongside President Mahama, Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

The presence of these women, representing different political eras, highlighted the unity of the nation in grief. But the absence of Mrs. Mills and Mrs. Amissah-Arthur left many asking questions.

The Weight of Tragedy

The deaths of Atta Mills in 2012 and Amissah-Arthur in 2018 both shocked the nation in ways that still linger.

For their widows, the losses were deeply personal, marked by painful memories of sudden tragedy — not unlike the families of the “Gallant 8” who were honoured on Friday.

While Mrs. Amissah-Arthur has in recent years remained active in public life — even speaking out recently after surviving an armed robbery attack — Mrs. Naadu Mills has largely retreated from the public eye since her husband’s passing.

Her absence at national events has been notable, and her non-appearance on Friday was seen by many as a continuation of her decision to stay away from public engagements.

Still, given the weight of the occasion and the symbolic presence of so many former leaders, some mourners felt that their attendance would have lent even greater meaning to the state funeral since they all belong to the same political party.

A Nation in Mourning

Despite their absence, the funeral itself was a powerful display of national grief and unity. Families of the eight victims — Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Dr. Samuel Sarpong, Samuel Aboagye, Alhaji Muniru Mohammed Limuna, Squadron Leader Peter Baafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manaen Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah — broke down in tears as tributes poured in, celebrating their service, sacrifice, and patriotism to the nation.

President Mahama announced the establishment of an Educational Children’s Support Fund to cater for the victims’ children and conferred posthumous promotions on the three Air Force officers who perished.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General William Agyapong, hailed the fallen as men who “served with pride and fell with honour.”

At the military cemetery in Tse Addo, where the victims were laid to rest with full military honours and a 21-gun salute, the atmosphere was heavy with emotion as families, widows, and children clung to one another in grief.

The Lingering Questions

For the public, their presence might have symbolised solidarity between the past and present, and between families who have endured similar losses in service to the nation.

But their absence remains unexplained, leaving behind a lingering curiosity among Ghanaians who had hoped to see them stand with the bereaved.