The Accra High Court has placed an injunction on the planned burial of the late highlife legend Daddy Lumba after his maternal family filed an application challenging the funeral arrangements.
The court’s order restrains Kofi Owusu, the family head (Abusuapanyin) and first respondent, from organising the funeral rites. Transitions Funeral Home has also been barred from releasing the musician’s body until the substantive matter is resolved.
According to the ruling, affidavits before the court indicated that the immediate family had been sidelined in the planning process. The judge emphasized the importance of due process and proper consultation, stating that “the authority of the family head must be exercised in consultation with the immediate family.”
Though the court acknowledged that delaying the burial could lead to additional costs, it stressed that the rights and involvement of all legitimate family stakeholders must be respected.
As part of its directives, the court instructed the first respondent to convene a stakeholder meeting within three weeks to arrive at a new burial date. It further ordered that all funds raised for the funeral be separated from accounts belonging to the Daddy Lumba Memorial Foundation, while applicants must file an affidavit with the court registrar.
The dispute emerged after Daddy Lumba passed away on July 26, 2025, at age 60, reigniting longstanding tensions within Akan customary practices regarding who holds authority over funeral leadership and financial arrangements.
