The High Court in Accra has restrained the head of family of Daddy Lumba from going ahead to organise the final funeral rites of the music icon on Saturday, December 13, 2025.
The family head (Abusuapanyin), Kwame Owusu, has been ordered by the court to convene a family meeting, involving all sides, within three days to plan the funeral.
The order from the court followed an application for an injunction from some of the maternal family members of Daddy Lumba, including his sister Ernestina Brempomaa and his uncle, Yaw Opoku.
The funeral home, where the body is being preserved, has also been restrained from releasing the body to the head of the family for the planned Saturday event.
Per the documents filed in court, the applicants argued that their family head Kwame Owusu had sidelined them in the preparation of the funeral.
The court held that the head of the family holds the right to oversee proceedings but must involve the immediate family.
The court’s decision stems from concerns raised in the affidavit by the applicants, indicating that the immediate family of the late musician had been sidelined in the planning process.
While acknowledging that funerals can involve substantial financial commitments, the court stressed that every matter must be considered on its own merit, especially where family rights and rites are concerned.
In its ruling, the court affirmed that although the head of the family traditionally holds the authority to oversee funeral arrangements, that authority must be exercised in consultation with the deceased’s immediate family.
The court therefore directed the head of family to convene a meeting within three days involving all relevant parties and stakeholders.
The purpose of the meeting, according to the court, is to jointly plan and agree on a new date for the funeral, ensuring that no party is excluded from the decision-making process.
The court further ordered that no steps should be taken to retrieve the body from the mortuary until the final determination of the case, bringing all ongoing preparations to a temporary halt.
Following the court order, checks by Graphic Online indicate that preparations at the Heroes Park at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi for Saturday's event have been halted.
Workmen were putting the final touches on the grounds in preparation for the Saturday event, after tents and green carpets were fixed on Thursday.
Musical instruments had arrived at the venue and were being arranged but when news of the court order trickled in, the workmen stopped the preparation.
more to follow...
Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh
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