BREAKING: Court blocks Daddy Lumba’s december 13 funeral

The Accra High Court has issued an injunction in favour of the maternal relatives of the late musician Daddy Lumba, temporarily halting his funeral arrangements. The ruling restrains the first respondent from proceeding with the burial and bars the third respondent from releasing the body from the mortuary until the main case is concluded.

According to Citinewsroom, the court emphasised the importance of examining the substance of each matter brought before it. It observed, based on the affidavits, that the immediate family appeared to have been excluded from preparations for the funeral.

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Although the judge recognised that delaying the burial could incur significant expenses, they stressed that proper procedure and full family participation could not be overlooked.

The court reaffirmed that the family head retains the traditional authority to oversee funeral rites; however, it noted that such authority must be exercised in consultation with the deceased’s immediate family.

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As part of its directives, the court ordered the first respondent to organise a stakeholder meeting within three weeks to agree on a new date for the burial. It also instructed that any funds raised for the funeral be kept separate from the Daddy Lumba Memorial Foundation account. Additionally, the applicants were required to file an affidavit with the court registrar.

The legal dispute arose after Daddy Lumba passed away on 26 July 2025, aged 60. His death ignited tensions between his maternal family and the family head over who had the rightful mandate to lead the funeral arrangements and how funds linked to the ceremony should be managed.

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Concerns about exclusion and the management of foundation resources eventually pushed the matter into court, drawing attention to longstanding Akan customs that place considerable authority in the hands of the maternal lineage when making burial decisions.