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Opposition lawmaker and Minority Leader in Ghana’s parliament has said the country is now in a “police state” under the Akufo-Addo-led government.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu made these remarks when he was asked to comment on the alleged physical assault on a Citi FM/TV reporter Caleb Kudah, by some national security operatives in Accra.
Caleb was arrested Tuesday when he was caught filming a fleet of vehicles parked at the security zone without any authorization.
He had claimed on national television that he was brutalised by the officers without any provocation when he was under detention for interrogation.
This has attracted widespread outrage among some members of the public who want the officers punished for their conduct.
Commenting further on the issue, Mr Iddrisu who is the MP for Tamale South said: “Nana Addo Dankwah and his NPP government are reducing Ghana to a police state and that is unacceptable.
“The rights of journalists to film is to provide evidence of what they have seen and to report what is real and what is practical, what is wrong”, he fumed as he addressed reporters at this year’s Eid-ul-Fitir in Accra.
Management of the Accra-based radio station has since condemned the act and are calling on authorities to punish the officers.
The CEO of the media organization, Samuel Attah-Mensah for instance has called out the Director of Operations at the National Security Lieutenant Colonel Frank Agyeman.
“They have to take action against Colonel Agyeman because he is a disgrace to the government, he is a disgrace to the National Security, and he is not fit for that job”, Attah-Mensah also known as Sammens stated on live TV.
For this person to treat this young man (Caleb Kudah) like this because he has done something you (Col. Agyeman) consider inappropriate? This is why we fought for this democracy. Take him [Kudah] to court [if he has done something wrong]. This is what we are saying. Process him for court, this is what we call due process”, he fumed.
Source: Daily Mail GH