President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, says journalists in Ghana must not be subjected to inhumane treatment, as he demanded the immediate investigation, arrest, and prosecution of military officers involved in the recent alleged assault on journalists in Walewale.
Speaking at the Ghana International Press Centre in Accra on Wednesday, January 28, Mr Dwumfour described the attacks as unacceptable and warned that journalists must be protected, not attacked, in the course of performing their professional duties.
He called for swift action- the immediate investigation, arrest, and prosecution of the military officers involved in the Walewale assault- by the military authorities, stressing that failure to act decisively would force the Association to take further steps.
Mr Dwumfour disclosed that although the Association was initially tempted to issue an ultimatum to the military high command, it had decided to wait for the military’s official response following its press briefing.
“We were tempted to give an ultimatum to the military high command, but we will leave it since they said they are waiting for us to finish with our presser so that they can react, or they will also come out with their reaction,” he said.
He added that the GJA would carefully consider the military’s response before making its next move.
“We will wait for the reaction of the military high command, and after that we will come out and make our petitions known,” Mr Dwumfour stated.
The GJA President further expressed frustration over what he described as a pattern of inaction by the military, citing a previous case involving Joy FM journalist Carlos Calony.
“We still have our ultimatum, and we know… because already there is a pending case involving Joy FM’s Carlos Calony, for which we paid a courtesy call on the military high command, the CDS on that matter. They gave us all the assurance and promised to give us daily or periodic briefing updates on the matter, which they failed to do, and they’ve not spoken about this matter till date,” he said.
He stressed that the Walewale incident represented a second unresolved issue and warned that continued delays would not be tolerated.
“So this one is a second issue they are handling, and we are saying that they should take swift action on this matter, or we would advise ourselves,” Mr Dwumfour cautioned.
Mr Dwumfour underscored the importance of mutual respect between the media and the military, noting that while both institutions depended on each other, journalists must be protected rather than attacked.
“The military needs us, and we also need them, but they should know that they cannot subject us to inhumane treatment and put our lives in danger or anything,” he said.
He further emphasised the role of journalists in national development and the need for security agencies to safeguard, not threaten, media practitioners.
“We are serving our nation, and for that matter, we need their protection, not their attack,” he added.
Looking ahead, the GJA President announced plans for high-level consultations within the media industry and with key partners, which could lead to a firmer stance on the matter.
“We will in the coming days come out with a firmer stance on the attacks after a high-level engagement with key stakeholders in the media,” he said.
He revealed that a series of stakeholder meetings had already been scheduled for the week.
“We are calling for key stakeholder engagement, which is happening this week. Heads of media institutions, editors, past GJA executives, our key partner institutions, or sister institutions… we are meeting to take a firm position, a stand on these attacks,” Mr Dwumfour stated.
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