A 26-year-old lawyer has reportedly passed away after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest while celebrating Ghana’s win over Panama in the Black Stars’ opening game of the FIFA World Cup on Wednesday, June 17.
The deceased, Sara Araba Tettey, was a recently qualified legal practitioner and a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Reports indicate that she collapsed shortly after the final whistle as supporters celebrated Ghana’s victory.
Ms. Tettey, who was called to the Ghana Bar earlier this year, was employed by O & A Legal Consult and was admired by colleagues and friends as a rising talent within Ghana’s legal profession.
According to eyewitnesses, she had been watching the match with friends at Standard Hostel, a private student residence located at Bomso near the KNUST campus in Kumasi. During the celebrations that followed the game, she suddenly became unconscious.
Friends and other individuals present quickly transported her to KNUST Hospital, where medical staff worked extensively to save her life.
Sources revealed that doctors and emergency personnel performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for about 45 minutes in an attempt to revive her. Despite their efforts, she was later pronounced dead.
News of her unexpected death has deeply affected the legal community, particularly her former colleagues from KNUST, the Ghana School of Law, and fellow members of the Ghana Bar, many of whom had recently marked her admission into the profession.
Known affectionately as “Araba Tettey,” she was remembered by friends and former classmates as a bright, dedicated, and caring individual with immense potential.
Many people have since taken to social media to mourn her passing and honour a young lawyer whose professional journey had only just begun.
Her death has overshadowed what was otherwise a joyous occasion for many Ghanaians celebrating the Black Stars’ successful start to their World Cup campaign.
Her body has been deposited at the hospital mortuary, where it will remain pending an autopsy and funeral arrangements.