Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, has called for an in-depth investigation into the death of President John Evans Fiifi Atta-Mills.
This, he said, will put an end to all the controversies surrounding the death, provide closure and bring peace to those affected by his death.
Mr Boateng made this request at a press conference in Accra, on matters involving the Ekumfi Traditional Council.
,Mr Asamoah Boateng indicated that there were inconsistencies in the information available about President Mills’ death, and called for a thorough investigation to discover the cause of his death.
He also contended that the controversial autopsy report should be made public.
“As the Minister for Chieftaincy, holding firm our tradition and custom, religion and faith, as we all die and where we will go, I will support that we solve the controversies surrounding the death of the former president, John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills, for the records to be set straight, ” he said.
“We have to know where he died, the doctor who attended to him, where he was taken to. I am told the body was taken to the funeral home, who authorised that the body should be moved to that end? We heard it was in the custody of 37 Hospital, why did he end up in a private hospital?
“Is there something in the autopsy report they don’t want us to know? Why are they hiding it? If the public wants it, why not make it available? It should be available for public record,” he added.
Mr Boateng also called on the section of the former President’s family who claimed to have the report of the autopsy to make it available for those demanding it.
According to him, he would support a coroner’s inquest which he believed would settle the matter once and for all.
Mr Boateng noted that “for us as a nation, it is important to set the records straight so that it does not happen again.
President Mills was the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, and his death should not be treated as such.”
According to Mr Boateng, a claim by one of the brothers of the late former President that the autopsy report was with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), was false.
On January 12, 2024, the Kyedomhemaa of Ekumfi Asaman, Nana Enyinfua III, who is the head of the maternal family of the late Mills appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to assist the family to get the autopsy report regarding the death of President Mills.
Nana Enyinfua made the call when she led a delegation from the Oduma Clan of Ekumfi to thank the President for refurbishing the final resting place of the late President Mills.
The question about the report confirming the cause of death of the former President came up during a visit by the Odomaa Clan of Ekumfi and Koku Anyidoho at the Jubilee House.
Kyedomhene of Ekumfi Asaman, Nana Enyimfua III urged the presidency to facilitate the release of the autopsy report, emphasising that 11 years had passed, and the family was yet to know the cause of death.
Touching on comments President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo made when the family of the former President Atta Mills visited him at Jubilee House, that his government had neglected development in Ekumfi due to the latter’s decision to vote Francis Ato Cudjoe out of Parliament in 2020, Mr Boateng said the statement of the President was misinterpreted.
He stated that Ekumfi Constituency had never been neglected by the government, adding that “they have twisted what the president said for their political agenda – the president has done very well for the people of Ekumfi.”
“The President only meant that because his appointee was voted out of power, the contact was lost in a way, but don’t worry, you have come to tell me, why not, we will do it, so I think the twist was from here,” he added.
