Despite an interim injunction secured by the family of the late Ga Manye, Naa Dedei Omaedru III, the planning committee of the funeral has announced that the final funeral rites will proceed as planned.
The Ga Traditional Council has confirmed that the funeral ceremony will take place, and the Ga Adangbe Council President, Nii Ayikoi Otoo, has stated that they have not yet received the court documents.
The plaintiffs in the case include several prominent members of the community, but the planning committee remains committed to honouring the late traditional ruler with a proper funeral.
“We don’t know anything about the injunction. These days, lots of things happen on social media. There may be things going around on social media, but I don’t think that as of now anybody has been served. I’m a member of the funeral committee, I have not been served with anything. We haven’t seen anything, so we don’t even know the extent of that order. What is it about? Is the Ga Traditional Council named as a party to the defendants?”
“If I give you work to do as a subcommittee or appoint you as an agent, and you have a problem, who do you sue? Is it me or the agent? Why is the Council out? The remains of the late queen’s mother is that a funeral? The injunction is clear that it’s about the body, you wait and see what happens. When they serve us, we will deal with it,” he said.
He added that “Saturday is the funeral day. We will have the burial service from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Afterward, we will hand over the coffin to the Asafoatsemei to parade through the principal streets. And in the evening, we will have a private burial. These days, even those who are not royals are given private burials. How much more the late queen who was a royal?”
“It will be a grand funeral. We have invited all the important chiefs of Ghana: the Asantene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Akyem, Kwahu, Yendi Yaa Naa, and Bolga Naa Ba. I mean every important paramount chief that you can think of. And they have all pledged that they will be here in person. The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will also be here, Ministers of State. It’s going to be huge. The funeral will happen at the Ga Mantse’s Palace,” he said.
