A police officer has assaulted a GHOne TV journalist at the Church of Pentecost, North Odorkor Polling 2 Station during the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun.
Citi News’ Fauzu Masawudu reports that this happened when the journalist attempted to access the inner perimeter of the voting center to cover the election.
In an interview with the journalist who gave his name as Agyekum Banahene, the officer approached him and asked him to leave the premises, despite other media personnel being present at the same location.
“He just came to approach me that I should leave the premises. Meanwhile, there were other media guys at the premises, he didn’t ask anybody to leave but he just approached me to leave,” the journalist said.
He explained that he refused to leave, arguing that his role as a journalist required him to be present in case anything happened.
“I said no I can’t go — what if I go and something happens? How do I report?” he said. “He was pushing me and he slapped me in the face for no reason. I have not done anything wrong to anybody.”
The journalist described the officer’s conduct as unprofessional and a violation of press freedom.
“We need to allow laymen to do this, not an officer who knows the law. They say press freedom — where is that press freedom?”
He said he intends to make an official complaint to the Accra Regional Police Command on Monday. According to him, the Mayor of Accra has already spoken to him about the incident and advised him to take the matter up formally.
The Ghana Police Service has not yet commented on the assault.
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