REST AT LAST - For Gambia victims

Sat. December 11, 2010


THE eight Ghanaians who lost their lives in The Gambia under tragic and strange circumstances in July 2005 were yesterday given final resting places at the Osu Cemetery, after a state-assisted funeral at the Forecourt of the State House.
The deceased comprised six males who were identified, as well as two others whose identities were not known but were believed to be Ghanaians.
The six were Prince Nkrumah Mensah, who was said to have come from the Ashanti Region but the actual town remained unknown, and Isaac Kwadwo Ampadu, whose home town was not known.
The rest were Richmond Addai, Asokore; Kwaku Agyekum, Effiduase; Eric Kwasi Nketia, Jaman North District in the Brong Ahafo Region, and Kwabena Kissi, Asiri.
The bodies were carried to the funeral grounds by personnel of the Ghana Police Service amidst the singing of hymns by the Tema Youth Choir. Poems were recited and dirges were also sung in their memory.
Present at the solemn ceremony were Ministers of State, Members of Parliament (MPs) from the various political parties, members of the Council of State, members of the Diplomatic Corps, the clergy, traditional rulers, as well as family members of both the deceased and those reported to be missing.
Mr Martin Kyere, the only survivor of the gruesome act who first broke the news, was also present and made a short statement.
He commended the government and other interested groups and individuals who had supported his call for investigations into the matter.
Conspicuously missing was a delegation from The Gambia which, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Integration, Alhaji Mohammad Mumuni, could not attend because of flight problems.
As the ceremony proceeded, some female members of the bereaved families were seen wailing while mentioning the names of their lost relations.
Delivering the sermon, which was based on Psalm 23, Romans 6:3-9 and John 11:20-27, the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana, Rt Rev Dr Paul Kofi Fynn, advised Ghanaians not to spend too much on funerals and the dead but rather spend their resources on the betterment of the living.
In a statement, Alhaji Mumuni gave the assurance that the government would continue to follow up on any leads which could help the country to find out what exactly happened on that fateful day on the seas of The Gambia.
He took the opportunity to advise Ghanaians, especially the youth, not to embark on illegal journeys which might put their lives in danger.
A spokesperson for the bereaved families, Mr Oduro Mensah, expressed gratitude to the government and the various human rights activists who had supported the families in their effort to get the matter investigated and also bring home the remains of their loved ones.
Yesterday’s ceremony took place after five years of controversy over the death of some Ghanaians in The Gambia which had nearly sparked a conflict between the two countries.
The resolution of the matter followed the findings and recommendations made by a joint United Nations/Economic Community of West African States (UN/ECOWAS) investigation team.
Though the report did not blame The Gambian government as having had a hand in the death of the Ghanaians, the Gambian government agreed to make a donation of US$500,000 to the families of the deceased towards the burial and funeral rites of the dead.
The contribution made by the Gambian government was received on January 7, 2010.
In July 2005, a number of Ghanaians lost their lives, while others were unaccounted for, in rather tragic and strange circumstances in The Gambia.
The issue was first reported by the only survivor of the incident, Mr Kyere, who alerted the security agencies.
At the initial stages, the number of the dead was reported to be 44, but investigations into the incident revealed that six people had rather lost their lives, while others were unaccounted for.