Accra: Assemblies of God, Ghana has called for lasting national honours for the eight distinguished Ghanaians who died in a recent helicopter crash, describing the incident as a tragedy that has shaken the nation to its core.

According to Ghana News Agency, among the dead were Defence Minister Dr. Omane Boamah, Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr. Mutarla Mohamed, and six other servicemen and national figures. The church described their deaths as ‘heart-breaking, soul-wrenching and earth-shaking,’ noting that their sacrifice must be remembered beyond the mourning period.

In a statement signed by the leadership, Assemblies of God said the accident was a solemn reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of prayer, both for personal renewal and national unity. The church revealed that during its First Pastors and Spouses Prayer Retreat, special prayers were offered for the bereaved families and for Ghana as a whole.

The statement expressed solidarity with President John Dramani Mahama, the government, and the Ghana Armed Forces, assuring the grieving families that they are not alone in their pain. Quoting Psalm 147:3, ‘The Lord heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds’, the church urged them to find comfort in faith during this time of immense loss.

Assemblies of God also expressed hope that the sense of national unity prompted by the tragedy would continue to bind Ghanaians together across political, social, ethnic, and religious lines. In addition to the state funeral announced by the President, the church proposed the creation of support schemes and award packages for the dependants of the fallen, a gesture, it said, would match the ‘supreme sacrifice they have paid’ and the ‘distinctive service they have rendered to the state.’

Such recognition, the statement added, would reaffirm that Ghana is indeed worth dying for. ‘May the souls of the Gallant Eight rest in perfect peace,’ the statement said.