The West Africa Editors Society (WAES) has called for an investigation into the alleged assault of a journalist by officers of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) at the scene of a market fire in central Ghana.
It warns that repeated attacks on media workers threaten press freedom.
In a statement issued on Monday (5 January), WAES said it was “appalled” by a video circulating on social media which appears to show fire service officers assaulting a journalist covering a fire at the Kasoa New Market in the Central Region.
The journalist, Samuel Addo of Class Media Group, told WAES he was at the market on Sunday (4 January), to report on the fire and returned the following morning to do a follow-up for a radio programme when he was confronted by about 10 fire officers.
According to Addo, the officers seized his phone and assaulted him despite his identifying himself as a journalist.
He has since lodged a complaint with the police and has been issued a medical form to seek hospital treatment.
WAES said it had contacted the Ghana National Fire Service’s public relations officer, Desmond Ackah, for comment.
However, the statement noted that Ackah was quoted in a Starr FM report as saying fire officers did not assault the journalist but only seized his phone because he was recording an altercation without permission.
WAES rejected that justification, saying journalists do not require permission to film or record incidents in public places.
“The attacks on journalists in Ghana by some officers of the security services have continued, despite efforts to sensitise security officers about the duty of journalists and their responsibility to protect them while they work,” the statement said.
The editors’ body called on the Ghana Police Service and the National Fire Service to investigate the incident, warning that such actions undermine transparency and democratic accountability.
“No democratic society should condone attacks on journalists, because doing so stifles journalism, kills transparency, and keeps everyone in the dark,” WAES Interim President Emmanuel K. Dogbevi said.
WAES represents editors across West Africa and is affiliated with the African Editors Forum.
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