Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister for Information has urged the Police administration to ensure that the attackers of Radio Ada face the full rigors of the law.
The Minister was reacting to reports that staff of the radio station was attacked on Thursday by a group of unknown young men following discussions about the Songhor lagoon project in the Greater Accra Region.
Speaking to pressmen in Accra, the Minister condemned the attack and asked the Police to ensure that the culprits are held responsible for their actions.
“The media are guaranteed the necessary freedoms to go about their work in this country.
There is no justification for a group of people to physically attack a radio station and its staff for comments they have made on air.
Even, If a party is aggrieved at the comments made, there are legitimate and legal avenues for seeking redress.
But such conduct cannot and should not be allowed to go unpunished.”
“The National Media Commission or the Courts constitute legitimate places to register displeasure at the conduct of the media if one is unhappy about any content published.
Where even content has the potential to offend the security of the area, the Police may be informed to take the necessary action through legal means.
But attacks of this nature are totally unacceptable and the perpetrators must be identified, investigated, prosecuted, and sanctioned.”
The Minister additionally said he had spoken to the management of the station and asked them to make a report to the office of the Coordinated Mechanism on the Safety of Journalists at the National Media Commission to take action.
He bemoaned the situation where attacks on journalists go unpunished saying it could breed a culture of impunity and intolerance of media work if not nipped in the bud.
Hon. Oppong Nkrumah also warned that such acts have the potential to weaken Ghana’s ranking on press freedom indices if not immediately addressed.
