PRESS RELEASE: Election 2024 – MFWA, CJID, GJA condemn attack on Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition team member in Tamale

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), the Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) have condemned the attack on Yahaya Masahudu, a journalist in Tamale, Northern Region of Ghana, and urged the police to investigate the case and ensure justice.

Masahudu is a member of the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition’s Media Situation Room, established by the Fact-Check Ghana, Dubawa Ghana and Ghana Fact to provide timely and accurate reports on Ghana’s December 7, 2024 elections and combat election-related misinformation. As part of his reporting duty, the journalist went to cover a looting incident at the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly warehouse and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) office within the premises of the Public Works Department on December 8.

According to the journalist, who sent a video report on the assault to the Fact-checking team, some young men manhandled him and seized his mobile phone, which he was using to record the looting. He was later rescued by some onlookers who whisked him away from the area.

Other media reports confirmed that some ruffians infiltrated the ranks of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters who were celebrating their party’s apparent victory a day after the December 7 elections, to loot public property. 

“Yahaya Masahudu was working to bring factual information about the elections to the public and combating false information. He was providing a critical public service and needed to be supported and protected. This attack is therefore shameful and totally unacceptable. The police in Tamale must pursue and bring to book the perpetrators,” Muheeb Saeed, Programme Manager for Freedom of Expression, said. 

Northern Regional Chairperson of the Ghana Journalists Association also deplored the attack on the journalist.

“Such a thing should not be happening in this day and age, especially when the election went on peacefully without any disturbance,” Mr. Abdul-Majeed Yakubu, Regional Chair of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), stated in an interview.

“I’m still working around the clock to ensure that the phone is retrieved. But let me be frank and sincere with you, we condemn that act in no uncertain terms,” the Chairperson of GJA in the Northern Region further said.
Akintunde Babatunde, Director of Programmes at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development(CJID), said,

“Journalists are important stakeholders in the quest to advance democracy; the attack on Yahaya is condemnable and should be investigated. We call on government and security agencies in Ghana to investigate this attack and bring attackers to book. Journalism is not a crime, and when journalists do their job to provide fact-based reporting for people, they should be free to do so without being attacked or subjected to harassment.”

The MFWA, CJID, and the GJA have jointly called on the police to take action to bring the perpetrators to justice.