The Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has alleged that the August 6 helicopter crash at Adansi Akrofuom, which claimed the lives of eight prominent Ghanaians, was not a mere accident but part of a failed coup attempt targeting President John Dramani Mahama.

Mr. Koomson claimed the incident was orchestrated as part of a wider plan to destabilise the Mahama administration.

He argued that the professionalism and experience of the pilots made it difficult to accept that the crash occurred under normal circumstances.

“It was a coup that failed because, despite the training of the pilots, they couldn’t bring it under control,” he alleged.

Mr. Koomson urged President Mahama to adopt stringent security measures similar to those implemented by Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, during periods when his leadership faced threats.

He recalled that Dr. Nkrumah introduced the Preventive Detention Act of 1958 in response to alleged conspiracies against his government.

He further cautioned the President and his advisors to be vigilant against what he described as “evil machinations” by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), accusing the party of being behind long-standing plots to destabilise the government.

“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.

Mr. Koomson called for a full-scale investigation into the tragedy, insisting that crucial 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.

The GFL leader described the incident as particularly alarming given that high-ranking government officials were among the casualties.

“If the Minister of Defence could be targeted and killed, then the President needs to be extra cautious,” he warned.

The helicopter crash claimed the lives of:

Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Minister of Defence

Alhaji Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, MP for Tamale Central and Minister of Environment, Science and Technology

Alhaji Muniru Mohammed Limuna, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator

Dr. Samuel Sarpong, First National Vice Chairman of the NDC

Mr. Samuel Aboagye, Deputy Director-General of NADMO

The tragedy has sparked intense public debate, with growing calls for an independent inquiry to establish the true cause of the crash, he concluded.

He spoke in an interview on Ahotor FM’s Yepe Ahunu show on Saturday, August 16, 2025.