The family of the late Ga Manye, Naa Dedei Omaedru III, has officially commenced final funeral arrangements for the late Paramount Queen Mother of the Ga State, despite an existing court order restraining the ceremony.
Traditional events began on Thursday, 12th November 2026, with customary rites and a wake-keeping at the Naa Dedei Omaedru Palace in Faase, Accra. The deceased royal, who passed away at the age of 89, is currently lying in state at the palace grounds, with the viewing continuing today, Friday, 13th November 2026.
The ongoing rites proceed in defiance of a 10-day court injunction secured by the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to halt the five-day funeral programme originally slated for 10th to 15th November 2026. The court order explicitly prohibits the organisers, their agents, and any associates from holding the proposed burial and funeral ceremonies.
Despite the legal restraint, the family remains resolute, insisting that nothing will prevent them from giving the late queen mother what they describe as a befitting burial.
According to the funeral programme, mourners, dignitaries, and sympathisers are expected to gather at the Holy Trinity Cathedral at 9:00 AM on Saturday, 14th November 2026, for the burial service.
The final funeral observations will then conclude on Sunday, 15th November 2026, with a thanksgiving service scheduled for 9:00 AM at the same cathedral.
Ahead of the ceremonies, Asafoatse Nii Kotey Ga II assured the general public that state security agencies have been duly informed to maintain law and order throughout the period.
“All relevant authorities, including the Police, National Security, and state officials, have been fully briefed ahead of the solemn event,” Asafoatse Nii Kotey Ga II noted.
This parallel funeral follows a bitter, protracted dispute over an earlier state-assisted burial organised in October 2023 by the Ga Traditional Council, which the royal family publicly rejected and denounced as fraudulent. Speaking to journalists at the Naa Dedei Omaedru We in 2024, Asafoatse Nii Kotey Ga II alleged that the 2023 ceremony, which drew several high-profile government officials, was staged using an empty casket filled with stones.
Known in private life as Naa Dedei Ablah, the late Paramount Queen Mother was born on 20th April 1934 in Faase, Accra, to George Holmes and Sarah Akweley Kotey. She passed away on 26th December 2022 in Dansoman, Accra, and is survived by five children, 30 grandchildren, and 59 great-grandchildren.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana