President John Dramani Mahama says assault on journalists would not be tolerated
President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the Ghana National Fire Service officers implicated in the attack on a Class Media Group (CMG) journalist while covering a fire outbreak at Kasoa in the Central Region have been interdicted.
He condemned the incident as intolerable, stating that it goes against the principles of press freedom and professional conduct, and emphasised that such actions fall far below the standards expected of personnel in the security services.
Speaking on the assault on Thursday, January 8, he called for the reorientation of officers to ensure proper engagement with journalists, highlighting that both security personnel and reporters serve the public.
“There is no way we will tolerate the continued assault on journalists.
We have engaged with the Ghana Journalists Association on these issues and will ensure they are in touch with the security services.”
President Mahama stated that many members of the security services require renewed training to appreciate that journalists, like security officers, are carrying out a public service.
He emphasised that the work of the media complements that of security agencies and that the two should not be viewed as being in opposition.
The remarks follow an incident involving journalist Samuel Addo, who was at the Kasoa New Market on Monday, January 5, 2026, reporting on a fire outbreak when he was allegedly accosted and roughly handled by officers of the Ghana National Fire Service who sought to stop him from recording the scene.
