Ga Manye’s funeral: We don’t know of any injunction – Planning Committee

The Planning Committee for the final funeral rights of the late Ga Manye, Naa Dedei Omaedru III, has stated the funeral would be going on as planned.

This comes after an Accra High Court issued an injunction on the funeral of the late Ga Manye.

While the activities leading to the burial have began, the court's directive mandates that the organisers must refrain from proceeding with the funeral for the subsequent ten days.

The court order directed that no person should handle the remains of the late queen mother throughout the stated period.

Speaking on the issue in an interview on Citi FM, a member of the funeral planning committee and the Ga Adangbe Council President, Nii Ayikoi Otoo, said that they do not know of any injunction.

According to him, nothing has changed and the later queen mother would be buried on Saturday, October 28, 2023, as planned, citinewsroom.com reports.

“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?” he is quoted to have said on Eyewitness News.

Nii Ayikoi Otoo indicated that the issue of the injunction is about the handling of the mortal remains of the late queen and not the funeral.

“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 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 went on to give details of the funeral and the dignitaries who are expected to be present.

“Saturday is the funeral day. We will have the burial service from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Afterwards, 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.

About the injunction:

The court order, under the Lordship of Justice Patrick Baayeh, directed that no person should handle the remains of the late queen mother throughout the stated period.

“It is hereby ordered that the Defendant/Respondent of the funeral committee chaired by Nii Otinr II, all members of the committee, this provides workmen, assigns and all person working through them are restrained from handling, organising, touching performing or dealing with the remains of the late Queen Mother, Naa Dedei Omaedru III in any manner for a period of ten(10) day,” the court order read.

The plaintiffs in the case are: Nuumo Emmanuel T. Antia We, Head of the Antie We of Kpone; Nii Addey Oba-Aasaa II, Ankobea of Antie We of Kpone; Shippi Antie I, Saduase Shippi Kpone; Charles Nii Kotey Kotey, Head of Naa Dedei Omaedru We Family of Faase, Accra.

It also included: Asafoatse Nii Kotey Ga II, Oseahene of Ga Manye Stool and Principal Elder of the Naa Dedei Omaedru We of Faase Accra; Michael Nii Ofei Danso of unnumbered House Accra, Principal Elder of Naa Dedei Omaedru We of Faase Accra; and Naa Yomofio, Linguist of Ga Manye Naa Dedei Omaedru We.

The Ga Traditional Council had originally scheduled the burial of the Paramount Queen Mother of the Ga State to proceed as planned on Saturday, October 28, 2023.

About the death of the Queen Mother:

The death of the queen mother, according to a report by Dailyguidenetwork.com, was announced by the Chief of Protocol and Communication for the Ga Traditional Council, Ambassador S. J. K. Parker on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, on behalf of the head of the Ga State, His Majesty Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II.

According to the announcement, the late queen mother, known in private life as Naa Dedei Ablah died on December 26, 2022, in Accra.

“The late queen mother sought the welfare of the girl-child and women so as to safeguard their future, setting a remarkable example of leadership to the queen mothers in the Ga state. She stood for peace and unity and promoted not only for the Ga state but for all Ghanaians and also advocated for a united approach to meaningful development for her people,” the Chief of Protocol and Communication said.

BAI/AW

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