Asiedu Nketia reveals he was supposed to have been on board ill-fated military helicopter

By Yaw Opoku Amoako August 9, 2025

National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has disclosed that he narrowly escaped being on the military helicopter crash that claimed eight lives on Wednesday.

The veteran politician, affectionately known as General Mosquito, said he had been scheduled to board the Z-9 helicopter for the official trip but made a last-minute decision to send his Vice Chairman, Dr. Samuel Sarpong, in his stead.

“Allah does what He wants. I was supposed to be on the flight, but I asked my vice chairman, Dr. Sarpong, to represent the party, and he agreed,” Mr. Nketia told mourners.

He reflected on the tragedy, urging Ghanaians to accept divine will.
“In human reasoning, you might think that if I hadn’t sent Sarpong, he would still be alive. But who knows? If it was his time, something else could have happened, even in Accra. We don’t question what Allah has ordained; in all things, we give thanks,” he said.

Mr. Nketia added that perhaps the accident prevented an even worse fate, offering a perspective that some grieving relatives have found consoling.

His revelation follows similar accounts from other high-profile figures, including former President John Mahama and Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak, who were also initially expected to participate in the trip.

The fatal incident occurred on August 6 in the Adansi District of the Ashanti Region. The military helicopter caught fire mid-flight and crashed, killing all eight on board: