Story: Atta Kwaku Boadi

Ghana Journalists Association has called on the Ghana Police Service to arrest  and prosecute the National Democratic Congress (NDC) thugs who assaulted the reporter of Citi FM/TV

The reporter was covering the vetting of aspirants for the party’s Odododiodio constituency primary on Friday, October 13, 2023.

The GJA also in a statement signed and issued to Today by its General Secretary, Kofi Yeboah condemned the attack on Akosua Otchere and called on the state and non- state actors as well as international community to do same.

“What happened at the offices of the Greater Accra Regional branch of the NDC on Friday was an act of insanity, that must not be allowed to fester in our body politic, and so we urge the police to act swiftly to arrest and prosecute the thugs in order to help sanitize the political space  especially, in respect of assault on media practitioners by political actors”, the statement said.

It added: “For the record we wish to emphasise that the the Citi FM/TV team were in the NDC’s regional office to perform a public-interest duty, and were properly and professionally clothed in respect of identity”.

The GJA in the statement noted that the party leadership or the party as an institution should have protected the news team from being harmed, and the thugs refrained from making them objects of attack in their internal party skirmishes.

“The GJA has taken ‘editorial notice’ of press statements issued by the NDC’s regional and national leadership condemning the attack on the journalist, apologising for the ‘highly irresponsible’ act, and giving assurance to deal with the party’s thugs who indulged in that dastardly act”, the Association’s general secretary In statement said.

While waiting for action beyond rhetoric by the regional and National leadership of the party, the GJA served notice with deep ink to political parties and the general public that henceforth, any assault on journalists and the media shall be  repelled with the strongest weapon the Association can marshal.

Meanwhile, the NDC has condemned the attack on the CIti FM/TV reporter.

According to the party in a statement issued and signed by its National Communication Officer, Sammy Gyamfi on Saturday, October 14, 2023, the assault on the just was highly irresponsible which did not reflect the party’s identity as defenders of press freedom.

To this end , the party apologised unreservedly to the journalist and the entire Citi FM/TV fraternity for the unfortunate development.