Latif Iddris, who has been on admission at the Lighthouse Mission Hospital in Accra, sustained injuries on his ribs and neck.

[contextly_sidebar id=”MaqaxvzfAEkI9lw2YlkvUCuyEPpQH6Xs”]Latif Iddris on Tuesday night, had gone to cover protests at the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service on March 27, 2018, where a Deputy General Secretary of Ghana’s main opposition party, NDC, Koku Anyidoho, was being held on treason charges.

The journalist approached one policeman and asked him the name of one of the anti-riot vehicles that had been deployed to control the crowd.

To his shock, the innocent question angered the policeman who ordered him to get away. The police officer subsequently grabbed the retreating journalist from behind and slapped him for “asking a stupid question.”

“He then pushed me into a crowd of other police officers who had no clue what had transpired between the two of us but also started beating me up,” Iddris later narrated.

The police officers, now numbering about eight, took turns to assault the journalist.

One of them hit him in the rib with a stick; another officer used the butt of his gun to hit his head about three times. Some of the officers also kicked him.

After about seven minutes of manhandling, the reporter was rescued by another senior officer. Iddris was rushed to the Light House Hospital at North Kaneshie, a suburb of Accra, where he received treatment for the swellings on his face and bruises on his body.

Lands Minister John Peter Amewu, who condemned the action by the police, encouraged Latif not to be distracted by such acts as a journalist.

He also donated an unspecified amount of money to him to aid his treatment.

The Minister was accompanied by the Public Relations Officer of the Lands Ministry, Abraham Otabil, CitiNews’ Kojo Agyeman, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi of TV3 Network, Kweku Stephen of Oman FM, and Clara Mlano of Ghana Television.
–
By: Kojo Agyeman/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Amewu condemns police assault on journalist at CID Headquarters appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Following up on hints of an ongoing protest at the party’s national headquarters in Accra, the reporters headed there.

Upon their arrival, scores of the party’s members, numbering about 200 from the Ellembelle Constituency in the Western Region, had besieged the headquarters demanding a clean register ahead of the party’s internal elections in January 2018.

Whilst filming the happenings, they were attacked by about six well-built men who are security guards at the party’s head office.

GhanaWeb’s cameraman was slapped, thrown on the ground and kicked mercilessly by the ‘macho’ men.

When the issue was reported to the NPP Deputy General Secretary, Sam Payne upon his arrival at the scene, he retorted that, “no one asked him [the reporter] to come and film” and walked away.

Efforts by onlookers and the protesters were simply insufficient to calm the anger and energy with which the security guards were manhandling the cameraman.
TV3’s reporter earned slaps, after which his phones and other equipment were seized.

Citi FM’s reporter was also attacked by a female party loyalist and the ‘macho’ men. Her spectacles were broken, whereas her phones and bag were seized.  She later was given back her items.

The Ellembelle protesters, who tried protecting the journalists, were also attacked.

About two of the protesters received slaps as a result, and one other person, sustained injuries, including a burst lip and a broken nose.

Ghanaweb’s cameraman complained of blurred vision and pains. Such offenders are often not punished, supposedly due to political affiliation with the governing party.

The defiant protesters insist on a clean register, as they allege some fraudulent activities in their constituency will mar the voting in January.

The governing party is expected to go to the polls in January 2018, to elect polling station executives. As part of that, all party members are to have their names captured on the party’s register by December 25, 2017.

According to the livid NPP members, their constituency’s party chairman, Samuel Akenya, has refused to make available the original registers to the 16 polling station officers.

They claimed the Constituency Chairman has instead made available other forms for the registration process which he will collate all registered names himself.

In the view of the constituents, this is a ploy to manipulate the election of party executives at the constituency level, through to the national level.

Speaking to Citi News at the NPP headquarters today, Thursday, the Communications Director for the group, Felix Dickson, said directives from the police and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to Samuel Akenya to release the original register, have yielded no results hence their action.

The group has been at the NPP headquarters since 5:00am, and is yet to meet any national party executive to whom, they can present their petition.

‘Controversial’ NPP constitutional amendment proposals withdrawn

The leadership of NPP over the weekend shot down some three ‘controversial’ proposals submitted for amendment to the party’s constitution.

President Akufo-Addo, while addressing party delegates at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region at the party’s Extraordinary National Delegates’ Conference said some of the proposed amendments “will be a disaster” if adopted.

The proposals included suggestions for Members of Parliament to appoint constituency executives, party members with dual citizenship to be disqualified from contesting for any party position and for the flagbearer of the party to be considered as the leader of the party

–
By:citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post NPP security men assault Citi FM, TV3 and Ghanaweb journalists appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.