Ghana has plunged into mourning after 33‑year‑old Sulemana Abdul Samed, the nation’s tallest man, passed away on Monday in a Tamale teaching hospital. Reports say he died after leg sores, a complication linked to his Marfan syndrome, became infected.
Sulemana, widely known as Awuche – meaning ‘Let’s go’ in Hausa – was measured by BBC reporters in December 2022 and found to stand 7ft 4in (223cm). Over the years he grew a reputation across northern Ghana for both his towering height and generous spirit. He once told a local by‑law that he could not continue to drive a truck because of his size, but it was his positive outlook that endeared him to people in Gambaga and beyond.
Cousin Sulemana Abdul Kudus said families and strangers still keep arriving at his house in Gambaga to learn what happened. He noted that the community’s reaction to his sudden death was shocked, with many people sharing memories of the man who once walked the streets with a 4‑mile stride.
Sulemana’s medical expenses had weighed on his family, until businessman Ibrahim Mahama – from the brother of former president John Mahama – stepped in to cover the bills at the Tamale teaching hospital. The benefactor also provided updates on the planned treatments that could have extended Sulemana’s life.
The family chose to bury Awuche in Tamale rather than Gambaga to avoid an overwhelming influx of mourners, instead making the funeral a modest affair with local dignitaries in attendance.
