The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has given the Ghana Police Service a 10-day ultimatum to arrest individuals responsible for attacking Citi FM/TV reporter Mohammed Amin Alabira in Yendi, Northern Region. The association also called for the blacklisting of Alhaji Farouk Aliu Mahama, Member of Parliament for Yendi, who is alleged to have led the assault.
During a joint news conference with the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), Private Newspapers and Online Publishers Association, Ghana (PRINCIPAG), and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), GJA President Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour expressed shock that no arrests had been made more than a week after the incident.
Mr Dwumfour demanded swift action from the police, warning that failure to arrest the perpetrators within the specified timeframe would compel the association to take further action. He highlighted the alarming trend of attacks on journalists in recent years, citing 45 documented cases of assault and attacks against journalists and media institutions between 2019 and 2023.
The GJA president emphasized that the association would not tolerate any assault on journalists and threatened to blacklist any political actor or party involved in such attacks. He called on the Speaker of Parliament to summon Alhaji Farouk Mahama before the Privilege Committee to answer for the alleged assault and urged the judiciary to impose punitive punishments on those responsible.
Representing Citi FM/TV management, Mr Selorm Adornu expressed disappointment over the actions of the MP, emphasizing the station's commitment to pursuing justice for its reporter. He called on the Attorney General to prioritize the case, and Mr Muheeb Saeed, Manager for Freedom of Expression at MFWA, urged the judiciary to enhance protections for journalists.