Abusuapanin reportedly ordered to step aside, return funds raised for Daddy Lumba’s funeral

Abusuapanin Kofi Owusu, the family head of the late highlife legend Daddy Lumba, has been instructed to return all funds collected for the musician’s funeral.

The ruling came from a panel of sub-chiefs under Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who were called in to resolve the ongoing conflict between Abusuapanin Kofi Owusu and Daddy Lumba’s elder sister, Ernestina Fosuh, also known as Akosua Brimpongmaa.

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Tensions escalated on October 28 at the Kumasi High Court, where Ernestina and Daddy Lumba’s first wife, Akosua Serwaa, filed an injunction seeking to postpone the funeral. They requested the delay to allow a proper autopsy to determine the true cause of the musician’s death. The court, however, ruled against them, affirming that Abusuapanin Kofi Owusu held final authority over the funeral arrangements according to Ghanaian customs.

Following the court decision, Ernestina Fosuh invoked Otumfuo’s Great Oath, a traditional Asante measure used as a last resort to call on the Asantehene to intervene in matters perceived as grave injustices. In response, Otumfuo appointed a panel of senior chiefs, including the Sumankwahene, Dadiesoabahene, and Baffour Kantankrayie, the Asantehene’s linguist, to review the case.

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On November 10, the panel ruled against Abusuapanin Kofi Owusu. He was stripped of the authority to organise Daddy Lumba’s funeral, and the previously scheduled date of December 6, 2025, was postponed to December 13, 2025.

A YouTube video report by blogger Clement Asamoah of Gossips24 TV revealed further actions taken against Abusuapanin Kofi Owusu. "He has been ordered not only to step aside from funeral preparations but also to return all funds that have been collected for the programme," Asamoah explained.

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Following Daddy Lumba’s death on July 26, 2025, a one-week observance was held on August 31 at Black Star Square in Accra. During the event, prominent Ghanaians contributed significant sums towards the late musician’s funeral. Abusuapanin Kofi Owusu has also been directed to surrender all monies held in a CAL Bank account, which had been established by the now-dissolved funeral committee to collect funds for the arrangements.

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The panel’s directive underscores the continued involvement of traditional authorities in ensuring that the late musician’s funeral is conducted in line with family consensus and customary law.