An Accra High Court has placed an interim injunction on the burial of highlife legend Daddy Lumba, stopping the family head and the mortuary from proceeding with funeral arrangements until a family dispute is resolved.
The ruling, delivered on Friday, December 12, 2025, follows an ex-parte application filed by the late musician’s maternal family against Kofi Owusu (the Abusuapanyin and first respondent) and Transitions Funeral Home (third respondent).
The court restrained Mr Owusu from continuing with any funeral plans and ordered Transitions Funeral Home not to release the body, which has been in the morgue since Daddy Lumba’s death on 26 July 2025 at age 60.
In her ruling, the presiding judge noted that evidence before the court indicated the immediate family had been sidelined in the planning process, raising serious questions about due process under Akan customary law.
While acknowledging that the delay would increase mortuary and related costs, the judge stressed that the authority of the Abusuapanyin must be exercised in consultation with the maternal lineage and immediate family members.
The court has directed the family head to convene a stakeholder meeting within three weeks to agree on a new burial date acceptable to all parties.
Additionally, all monies so far raised for the funeral must be moved out of any accounts linked to the Daddy Lumba Memorial Foundation and kept separate pending the outcome of the substantive suit.
The maternal family is also required to file fresh processes with the court registrar to continue the main case.
A new date for the hearing of the substantive matter is expected to be fixed soon.