Grief and sorrow filled the atmosphere during the final funeral rites of two men who tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash at Tema Community One on Monday, March 16, 2026.

The ceremony, held at the forecourt of the State House in Accra on Saturday, March 28, 2026, saw a sister of the brothers express gratitude and honour their memory with heartfelt words.

In a moving tribute, she recalled cherished memories and shared the deep pain of their loss.

Describing the tragedy as a season of loss that is difficult to comprehend, the family expressed their determination to hold on to faith despite their grief.

“Today, our hearts carry a weight that words can hardly hold. How do we say goodbye to the people who were not just my brothers but pieces of my own soul?” she read, her voice heavy with emotion.

Read the full tribute below:

The Bible reminds us in Ecclesiastes 3 verse 1 that to everything there is a season and a time for every person. Even though the season of loss is one we struggle to understand, we hold on to God even when it breaks our hearts.

Today, our heart carries a weight that words can hardly hold. How do we say goodbye to the people who were not just my brothers but pieces of my own soul? How do we stand here and speak about you as though you are my bigger brother?

My first best friend from the very beginning, you were his. Frank, our big brother. Our first best friend. From the very beginning, we were inseparable.

People thought we were twins and honestly, they felt that we were. We moved through life side by side, sharing everything—laughter, secrets, and the bonds that only we understood.

I keep going back to the days in Darkoman when you would sneak up to the game center to play your soccer game, and dad, looking for you, would send me to find you. The moment I saw you we didn’t even need to say much. You would just tell me, “Say I was learning at Joseph’s house,” and I would, without hesitation, because I was there—heartless, protective of each other’s little world.

Those small playful secrets now feel so big in my heart because they remind me of how deeply we were connected. I remember how you would come home from senior high school full of life, full of energy, calling me, “Alice, come and see this.” And then you would show me your new dance move, so proud and excited.

You probably never knew this, but I carried those moves like they were mine. You gave me more than just steps. You gave me joy, confidence, and a part of yourself that will live in me forever.

But Frank, you didn’t stop being playful. Big brother, when we grew up, you only got worse. You would always prank and scare me, knocking on my door nonstop just to annoy me, ringing my bell again and again whenever you visited me in Spain.

You brought life into every space you entered, even when we were still trying to sleep. And then the memory that will stay with me forever—you taking Alice on a plane ride over our apartment. She looked up and said, “Mommy, it’s uncle.” Your name lives on in her voice, in her innocence, in her memory of you. And that is something no one can ever take away.

Frank, you were a joy. You were energy. You were love in motion. And you, I will miss you more than words can ever say.

And Elijah, my dear Elijah, our buddy, our comfort, my constant, my connection man, my kapo, my mamayo, my lovely as I called you—with you, it was a different kind of love, quiet, deep, and unshakable.

You were someone we could always turn to. Someone who understood me without needing words. You were my blessing in a way that is so hard to explain. No matter what I needed, anything at all, you would find a way to get it.

You showed me love through action, through always being there for us. You were so clingy, always right next to me, whispering in my ear with no space between us. Especially when someone was speaking in Spanish, but a few days into years, that question just one more time.

Elijah stood by me in some of my problems and pain. You were there. And just one week later, you went with me to buy my first car. That was showing up, supporting me, and celebrating me in ways that I will never forget.

You and Frank would argue sometimes, and somehow, I was always in the middle, listening to both of you, trying to make peace. But even in those moments, I saw the love—a love that didn’t disappear in anger, but stayed strong and true underneath it all.

That was what made you a brother. You were not just a place in my heart, and losing you felt like losing a part of my very self. The Bible in Romans 8:28 reminds us: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Today, we may not see that good. Today, it hurts deeply. But we hold on to the promise that this pain is not without purpose, even if we cannot yet understand it.

To both of you, the silence you have left behind is heavy. But even in this pain, I hold on to the gratitude that I was given the chance to share love with you.

You may be gone from my sight, but you will live in our memories. Let us share the smile that comes from remembering you. If love alone could have kept you here, you would have lived forever.

With all my love, with all our love, I’ll let it start right here. We love you.













VKB/MA

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