President John Mahama has revealed that personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service who assaulted a journalist with Class FM have been identified and interdicted.

He made this revelation during his visit to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) as part of his tour to selected media houses.

The President condemned the attack, highlighting that there is zero tolerance for violence against journalists in a democratic society.

“I’m a journalist by training, and so there’s no way we can countenance the continued assault on journalists. The Minister of Government Communications has taken it up, and I think the officers have been identified and interdicted as investigations are going on, “President Mahama said.

To avert future occurrences, President Mahama revealed that his administration has begun engagements with the Ghana Journalists Association and security agencies to address the matter and prevent future incidents, citing the need for the reorientation of some security personnel to respect the work of journalists while they are in the field carrying out their duties.

President Mahama said there is a need for a change in attitude among some security personnel, noting that journalists and security officers play complementary roles in society.

“We’ve been in touch with the Ghana Journalists Association on these issues. We’ve put them in touch with the security services. We need a reorientation of many of our security personnel to understand that just as they are doing their job of providing peace and safety, journalists are also doing their job of informing the people as to what is happening. They’re not antagonistic to each other. Indeed, they’re both serving the same public,” he explained.

While acknowledging the occasional occurrence of such incidents, he insisted they must be handled decisively. “When they come, they must be dealt with as firmly as possible,” he said.

About the assaulted journalist and the circumstances leading to his attack

Meanwhile, the class media journalist, Samuel Addo, has officially filed a police report providing details on the attack.

His assault happened during an official assignment for a follow-up coverage of a fire outbreak at the Kasoa New Market, which started on Sunday, January 4.

According to him, he was overpowered by a group of fire officers when he made attempts to take a video of the officers beating a suspected thief at the fire scene. A lone officer first approached him. After Addo identified himself as a member of the media, the officer walked away, only to return minutes later with about ten colleagues, who he says,

“… held my neck, pulled my hands behind my back, and assaulted me. They took my phone, tore my belt, and took both away,” he stated.

According to him, his mobile phone was later returned following the intervention of the area’s Member of Parliament (MP), Phyllis Naa Koryor; however, more than half of the money he had been carrying prior to the incident was missing.

Mr Addo stated that he arrived at the fire scene with GH¢20,000 but later realised that GH¢10,200 had gone missing, leaving him with just GH¢8,000.

“The money is still missing. I have reported everything to the police,” he added.

The journalist has been issued a police medical form and is seeking hospital treatment for his injuries.

Meanwhile, about four months ago, the government promised relief to victims of electoral violence, particularly those who suffered attacks during the 2020 and 2024 elections.Speaking during a courtesy call by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) at the Jubilee House in Accra, on Friday, September 5, President John Dramani Mahama revealed that, he has received a report from the Ghana Police Service with records of all victims of electoral violence citing that fater all the necessary review is completed on the report, victims will be rightly compensated.

According to him, this comes after he tasked the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to investigate the incidents upon assuming office, adding that the IGP has delivered on his mandate by presenting him with a comprehensive report detailing all those affected, including individuals who lost their lives and those who sustained various degrees of injury.

His outfit has submitted the report to the Attorney General for perusal, to determine the rightful compensation package for the victims.

“I wish to inform you that last week, I received the investigative report on the two incidents, and they have detailed and catalogued everybody who was affected by the violence and the circumstances that led to the violence.”

“We have given him [the Attorney General] the terms of reference to look at what adequate compensation would be for people who have been the victims of violence, including those who died, their families are still there, and then those who were some have been injured and are living with injury.“What is the adequate compensation that we can give to people like that?”, President Mahama noted.

He continued, “ We have handed it over to the Attorney General, and he’s going to go through, and if there’s the need to hold some people culpable and bring them to book, the Attorney General will do that”.Additionally, President Mahama has assured that the compensation package will also include journalists who, over the years, have been victims of electoral violence on multiple occasions.

“...And so once that is done, I’m sure that if there were journalists involved, they would also be considered for compensation,” he added.

His comments follow a reminder by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) President, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, to President Mahama to fulfil his campaign promise of protecting and ensuring the safety of journalists. He appealed to the president to ensure that,

“Unwarranted attacks on journalists must end. We call on you to ensure that perpetrators of violence against media personnel are held accountable.”

During a media engagement on August 16, 2024, President Mahama gave his word to journalists that, when he assumed power, the media would have their freedom to execute their mandate without intimidation. He said:

“The best thing you can give the media is to give them the freedom to do their work. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened under this government. Media people have been hounded, some have run into exile, some have been threatened, their lives have been threatened, and indeed some have paid the ultimate price like Ahmed Suale did.”

He continued with a personal pledge:

“You can trust that as a person who is a member of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) myself, I am not the kind of person who would hound the media, and so one gift I can give to you is the freedom to do your work without anybody intimidating and harassing you.”