Accra: Mr Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has called on Ghanaians to give serious consideration to genuine prophecies, cautioning against dismissing spiritual warnings and messages from credible religious leaders. The Speaker made these remarks while leading a parliamentary delegation to pay respects at the residences of the late Alhaji Muniru Mohammed Limuna, a former Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, and the late Dr Edward Omane Boamah, a former Defence Minister, in Accra.
According to Ghana News Agency, the delegation included key parliamentary figures such as Mr Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, the Clerk to Parliament; Mr Mahama Ayariga, the Majority Leader; Madam Patricia Appiagyei; Deputy Minority Leader Mr. Rockson Nelson Etse Dafeamepkor; Majority Chief Whip; and Madam Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah, the First Deputy Majority Leader. Mr Bagbin emphasized the importance of heeding spiritual insights from trusted religious leaders, stating that their prophecies should not be taken lightly.
Mr Bagbin remarked, "Pastors, the Reverends-we should listen to them. It is not all of them who are looking for money. Don't take what they say for granted. I have listened to the prophecies, and I don't take them lightly because that is their area."
The Speaker's comments came in response to a new directive from the Presidency's Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations Office, which requires religious leaders to submit prophecies of national significance for official review. The directive follows viral videos circulating on social media after a military helicopter crash on August 6, which claimed the lives of eight people, including two cabinet ministers. In these videos, some self-proclaimed prophets claimed to have foreseen the disaster but were ignored.
The helicopter crash resulted in the deaths of several prominent figures, including Dr Edward Omane Boamah, former Minister for Defence, and Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation. Other victims included Alhaji Muniru Mohammed Limuna, Mr Samuel Aboagye, a former parliamentary candidate for the NDC, and Mr Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the NDC, along with three crew members.
The Ghana Armed Forces reported that the Z-9 helicopter, which departed Accra en route to Obuasi for an anti-illegal mining event, went "off the radar," triggering a search-and-rescue operation that confirmed the deaths of all eight aboard.
A national mourning period has been declared, with flags at half-mast and a series of commemorative events, including a flower-laying ceremony and an evening of reflections and memorials, led by President John Dramani Mahama. The late Alhaji Mohammed Limuna and Murtala Mohammed were buried in Accra according to Islamic practice.
