Ga Dzaase urges Traditional Council to allow family bury late Ga Manye Naa Dedei Omaedru

The Ga Dzaase has implored the Ga Traditional Council to permit the family and descendants of the late Ga Manye, Naa Dedei Omaedru III, to arrange her burial and funeral ceremonies, asserting that she has yet to be laid to rest. This plea emerged in response to a press statement issued by the Ga Traditional Council on October 28, 2026, claiming that customary and posthumous rites had already been carried out for the late Ga Manye on October 28, 2023, rendering additional rites redundant.

However, the Dzaase, presided over by Nii Yaotey Oto Ga II, has contended that the late traditional leader, who held office for nearly six decades, has not yet been accorded a proper burial. In a statement, the Dzaase elucidated that customary rites for a deceased monarch cannot be executed in the absence of the corpse and without the consent of the family prior to burial.

The Dzaase emphasized that the family, both immediate and extended, holds the prerogative to dictate matters concerning the deceased's body and the execution of customary funeral rites.

To buttress its stance, the Dzaase alluded to the recent funeral of the late Ga Mantse, Boni Nii Amugi II, where customary rites preceding burial were conducted by the Amugi We family in conjunction with the Ga Dzaase. The Dzaase also cited three court rulings, including Republic v High Court, Kumasi: Ex Parte Appiah and Others (1997–98) 1 GLR 503, a Supreme Court decision, as well as Republic v High Court, Kumasi: Ex Parte Noah (1994) and Neequaye and Another v Okoe (1993–94), to substantiate its assertion on the family's authority over the body of a deceased individual and related customary rites.

The Dzaase argued that granting the family the opportunity to orchestrate the burial and funeral would enable the honoring of the late queen mother's contributions and commitment to the Ga State, the chieftaincy institution, and Ghana at large. Naa Dedei Omaedru III served as Ga Manye for nearly six decades and was lauded by the Dzaase for her dignity, loyalty, and honor as a traditional leader. The group pleaded for the family to be granted the chance to bid a fitting farewell to their beloved mother and kin.