GhanaWeb‘s Asahnti Regional Correspondent, Gideon Nana Peprah, was attacked by a group of armed men while covering the Council of State Elections in the Ashanti Region on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.
The incident occurred at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council following a violent altercation that left several media personnel injured.
Sharing his ordeal with Etsey Atisu, Peprah said that about seven well-built men stormed the venue without provocation and began assaulting electoral officers.
“Built men from nowhere just stormed the place. They stormed the grounds where the electoral officers were doing the sorting and counting. Suddenly, they started scattering everything — the ballots, the prepared ballot papers, and the tally sheets. Then, at some point, they even started attacking themselves, which left us confused as to what was happening,” he narrated.
According to him, while trying to leave the chaotic scene, the men approached and accused him of filming the incident on his phone and demanded that he delete the footage.
“I was attacked by about seven or eight of them. They claimed they saw me taking videos and ordered me to delete them. Before I could react, they seized my phone and overpowered me,” he added.
During the scuffle, Peprah sustained injuries after being slapped and struck with a metal object.
“One of them snatched my phone, and another slapped me from behind. Then another person followed up with a slap in front of me. A different macho man used a metal object to hit my mouth. As I speak, my mouth is cut, and I am currently at the emergency ward of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital,” he stated.
The journalist also disclosed that his phone was eventually returned to him after some National Democratic Congress (NDC) executives at the scene intervened.
However, all the recordings on his device had been deleted.
He noted that four other journalists, including a reporter from Oyerepa, a Russian NGO media representative, and a blogger, were also attacked.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has since launched an investigation into the incident, assuring the public that those responsible will be brought to justice.
JKB/AE
You can also watch as John Boadu reveals how NPP blocked Afenyo-Markin from contesting Effutu seat
