NPP MP Habib Iddrisu Files RTI Request for Update From Mahama on Helicopter Crash Probe
- Tolon MP, Alhaji Habib Iddrisu, has taken action to force an update from the government on the August 6 helicopter crash
- Iddrisu believes the government must provide the update to demonstrate transparency and accountability
- The crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti region on August 6, 2025, claimed the lives of eight people
The Tolon MP and First Deputy Minority Whip, Alhaji Habib Iddrisu, has filed an RTI request for an update on investigations into the August 6, 2025, helicopter crash that killed eight people.
Iddrisu is concerned that there has been no update since a committee was set up to probe the crash in the same month.
Source: Facebook
He stated:
“The public deserves to know what led to this tragic loss of such prominent figures and dedicated public servants.”
He further requested that if the full report is not yet complete, an interim update should be provided to demonstrate transparency and accountability.
In his letter dated October 27, 2025, the MP invoked Article 21(1)(f) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 18 of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), which guarantees citizens the right to access information of public interest.
Following the crash, the government announced on August 25 that a committee of inquiry had been established to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash, with a promise that the findings would be made public within 30 days.
However, Iddrisu noted that no report or update has since been released, despite widespread public concern.
The Ghana Air Force and the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation and Prevention Bureau of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority are part of the investigating team.
The US is also providing advice and assistance to the board through visiting investigators from its Air Force.
What happened in Ghana army helicopter crash?
The August 6 helicopter crash killed eight people, including two ministers.
The helicopter the officials were travelling in crashed into a dense forest as it was flying from Accra to Obuasi for the launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme.
Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed were killed when the helicopter they were travelling in went down in the Adansi Akrofuom district.
The other civilians who died in the crash were former Obuasi East parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, Deputy National Security Coordinator Limuna Muniru and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice Chairman Dr Samuel Sarpong, while the army personnel who died in the crash were Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah, Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala and Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu.
Inside the Chinese-made helicopter involved in crash
The Z-9EH, Ghana's variant of the helicopter, is designed for transport, passenger use and emergency purposes, according to the Odin database on military equipment.
However, the line of helicopters has also been involved in notable accidents across three continents, according to incidents compiled by the Aviation Safety Network.
Aside from Ghana, the Z-9 has been exported by China for use in Bolivia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Kenya, Laos, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Pakistan, and Zambia.
Source: Getty Images
Multiple Z-9 crashes in Zambia
Per YEN.com.gh checks, in 2013, a Z-9 helicopter flying past in commemoration of the Zambia International Youth Day was involved in an accident while landing.
A helicopter carrying journalists accompanying the Zambian Vice President at the time was forced into an emergency landing in Kabwe that year. No one was hurt.
In 2012, a Zambia Air Force Harbin Z-9 helicopter suffered a power failure before spiralling out of control towards a tree, with one person on the ground being hurt.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
