Interim President of the West Africa Editors’ Society (WAES), Emmanuel K. Dogbevi, has condemned the alleged assault of a Class Media journalist by officers of the Ghana National Fire Service.
He described the incident as ‘horrendous’ and a clear display of indiscipline by state security personnel.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Monday, January 5, Mr Dogbevi expressed shock after watching a viral video linked to the incident, saying it depicted unacceptable conduct by a trained security officer.
“I saw the video, and unless someone tells me it is AI-generated, it was horrendous. One officer was holding a plastic helmet and using it to hit the journalist. That is the height of indiscipline any trained state security officer can exhibit in public,” he remarked.
He noted that officers of state security agencies undergo training to exercise restraint and control their emotions, warning that resorting to violence at the slightest misunderstanding undermines public trust.
“In Ghana, it appears that at the slightest misunderstanding involving someone in uniform, the reaction is violence. It has to stop somewhere,” he insisted.
The alleged assault occurred while a journalist was covering events at the Kasoa New Market following a recent fire outbreak.
Mr Dogbevi also questioned the government’s commitment to protecting journalists, arguing that repeated assurances have not translated into accountability.
“We always hear government make statements about ensuring that journalists are protected and that security agency officers who assault journalists will be punished. As we speak now, I do not have records of any specific incident involving a state security agency officer who is standing trial, has been convicted, or has been dismissed from service for assaulting journalists,” he said.
Mr Dogbevi challenged anyone with evidence to provide such records, insisting that impunity has persisted despite Ghana’s more than three decades of democratic practice.
“We should be growing out of these petty incidents of security agency officers attacking journalists, yet all we do is issue statements,” he added.
He stressed that assaults against journalists are criminal acts under Ghanaian law and must be treated as such, rather than handled administratively or ignored.
Emphasising the role of the media in a democratic society, he noted that journalists do not commit any offence by doing their work, even when their reports are uncomfortable.
“People may not like what journalists publish, but that is what journalism is about. Journalists publish what you don’t want to hear. As long as they are working ethically and within the law, they must be protected,” he said.
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