Two broadcast journalists with Ghana’s Accra based Citi FM and Citi TV were arrested on Tuesday evening by some security officials.
The two journalists were accused of filming at a security zone over the weekend.
Caleb Kudah was the first journalist to be arrested for allegedly filming at the premises of the National Security Ministry.
He was reportedly handcuffed and sent to the premises of the radio and TV station for a raid to arrest another journalist.
Zoe Abu-Baidoo is believed to have received the files allegedly captured by Caleb Kudah on her phone.
About seven heavily armed officers stormed the media houses in a Rambo style to effect the arrest of the journalists.
The General Manager of Citi FM and Citi TV, Bernard Koku Avle told the media outlet that “I personally do not see what the whole approach was about, particularly in the times we are in, with all the issues at hand.
Besides we are a recognised media house and you know people here, so if you want to talk to Zoe about information she has, this is not the way to do it.”
“Our focus is to ensure that the journalists are okay. This was very traumatising for Caleb.”
Officials from the National Security stormed into our premises, went after Zoe with claims that she had access to an unauthorized film (presumably sent by caleb) – Benard Avle (cititv) pic.twitter.com/kccsyuvzER
— News From The Source (@PatriciaWoke) May 11, 2021
The two have since been released after hours of interrogation on Tuesday but the arrest attracted a lot of reactions on social media.
Filming a National Security Installation without consent, is wrong.
But rifle wielding men storming a media house to chase people around in this Rambo style is unacceptable. For God’s sake stop these needless show of bravado. Stop this “I’ll show you where power lies” attitude
— Saddick Adams (@SaddickAdams) May 11, 2021
When did filming National Security vehicles become a crime in Ghana? Article 19(11) of the 1992 Constitution says “no person shall be convicted for a criminal offence unless the offence is defined and the penalty for it is prescribed in a written law”#FreeCalebKudahNow
— Francis-Xavier Sosu (@fx_sosu) May 11, 2021
The NDC condemns in no uncertain terms, the arrest of Caleb Kudah and the gestapo invasion of the office of Citi FM by armed National Security operatives. The act is unlawful and preposterous. The oppression of journalists and citizens by the despotic Akufo-Addo gov’t must stop.
— Sammy Gyamfi (@SammyGyamfi2017) May 12, 2021
Source: Africafeeds.com
