The family of the late Alhaji Asoma Banda has asked the Ghanaian public to disregard the purported state funeral which a group of individuals are planning to organise.
The head of the family who is also Chief of Banda Ashanti Region, Alhaji Mohammed Abu Banda, revealed that it has come to the attention of the friend that some unknown persons led by Alhaji Abdullah Khalifa, aka Alhaji Abomour, have taken it upon themselves to organise an ’‘unauthorised funeral service for my late elder brother at State House’.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, he stated categorically that Alhaji Abdullah Khalifa is not the head of the Abu Banda family. The unauthorised funeral at the state house is not organised by the state or the family. The funeral at the state house is also not known to the family. Alhaji Abdullah Khalifa has also taken it upon himself to invite the general public to the unauthorised funeral.
I want it to be known that this unauthorised funeral at the state house is not supported by the state or the family. I, Alhaji Mohammed Abu Banda, as head of the Abu Banda family, speaking on behalf of the entire family, am dissociating ourselves from this unauthorised funeral. We would like to inform the public to disregard this unauthorised funeral being organised by Alhaji Abdullah Khalifah, as he is not part of the Abu Banda family.
He also announced that the family will be organising the 40-day funeral ceremony for the late Asoma Banda on April 10, 2025, at the Asoma Banda Mosque in the Airport residential area.
The Quran recital ceremony, he added, would be led by the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Sharubutu.
Lead counsel for the family, Mr Martin Kpebu, who was also at the press conference, confirmed that the family has officially written to President John Dramani Mahama to alert him that the individuals planning to organise the funeral at the state house do not represent the family.
‘’Some unknown persons have taken it upon themselves to organise a funeral without input from the family, and that is what the family strongly objects to. We all know that by customary law, the deceased or the body belongs to his family, and they are responsible for organising the funeral. So, for persons who are not family members, to arrogate to themselves powers to perform funeral rites for the deceased is unheard of. It is uncustomary. That is not our law. When a person dies, he belongs to his family, and this is his family,’’ he declared.
He stressed that ”a funeral without the sanction of the family head is not a funeral. It is an activity that will bring so much disruption and so much confusion into his family. So what we are pleading is that you don’t give any traction to those unauthorised persons. And we are calling on His Excellency the President not to honour the invitation to that funeral because it is not sanctioned by the family”.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
