Private legal practitioner and broadcaster Samson Lardi Anyenini has condemned the recent physical assault of a Class Media Group (CMG) journalist by personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), describing the act as “absolutely barbaric” and a criminal violation of the 1992 Constitution.
The assault took place on Monday, January 5, 2026, during a chaotic fire incident at the Kasoa New Market, where fire officers were seen in a viral video manhandling the reporter, preventing him from filming the scene, and forcibly seizing his mobile phone.
A “Barbaric” Breach of Sovereignty
Speaking on the legal and democratic implications of the attack on Joy FM’d Super Morning Show (SMS) on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, Mr. Anyenini noted that such “dastardly” conduct has no place in a modern democracy.
He argued that under Article 21(1)(f) of the Constitution, the people of Ghana are the ultimate sovereigns and have an inherent right to information, which journalists are mandated to provide.
“It’s absolutely, absolutely barbaric and it should not be entertained. Not in this republic. And to think that they have the guts and they dare to seize the journalist recording device,” he lamented.
He emphasized that journalists are clothed with an “onerous obligation” to bring events to the people, and any attempt to hinder this through violence is an attack on the very foundations of the state.
The Failure of Public Relations
A significant portion of Anyenini’s critique was directed at the GNFS Public Relations Officer (PRO) DO II Desmond Ackah, who reportedly defended the actions of the officers despite “ocular proof” of the assault.
The lawyer suggested that the PRO’s stance makes him unfit for his office and called for his immediate interdiction.
“If this officer is still at post, that should be our bigger worry—that he is deemed qualified as a public relations officer for a public institution. It clearly shows that he’s not fit to be in that office. My expectation is to hear from the Ghana Fire Service… to interdict this officer, put him through discipline, and perhaps find some refresher course for him to learn to do his work as a PR.”
No Legal Requirement for ‘Consent’
Clarifying the law regarding filming in public spaces, Mr. Anyenini debunked the notion that journalists need permission from state officials to record ongoing public developments.
“No journalist is required by any law, not the constitution and not any statute… to seek consent to film or record or gather information that is in the public. The development was in the public space.”
Criminality in Uniform
Mr Anyenini maintained that even if a journalist were deemed “uncooperative”, law enforcement and emergency services have no legal right to resort to physical battery.
He characterised the entire episode as a series of criminal acts that the leadership of the Fire Service must address directly.
“Nobody had the right to lay their hand on him because even law enforcement does not have the right to beat and assault suspects of crime,” he stated. “At every turn, this was criminal. This was wrong.”
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