Put Media Blackout on Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson until further notice – GJA Directs

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has made passionate appeal to all media houses in the country to place a total media blackout on Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson in her capacity as both the Member of Parliament (MP) for Awutu Senya East and Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture.

President of the Association, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, said the Minister has become too dangerous to be associated with, as such all media practitioners must stay away from dealing with her in their own interest and safety.

The GJA President was addressing a news conference on Thursday following the expiration of an ultimatum given by the association for authorities to investigate an attack on a journalist working with Cape FM in Cape Coast, David Kobena. The attack was launched by Supporters of Hawa Koomson during the vetting of parliamentary aspirants of the NPP in the central region.

“Having consulted with our partner institutions, including GIBA and PRINPAG, as well as senior members of the Association, the Ghana Journalists Association hereby calls as follows, That:

1. All media houses must give total media blackout to Mavis Hawa Koomson and stay away from her as MP, Minister of State or any other public capacity and position she may hold. This is because we believe there are thugs, unreasonable and evil-minded people around the MP who pose serious threat to the lives of journalists and other media practitioners. I must emphasis that we have nothing against the person of the MP but we are scared of people around her;
   2. The NPP leadership, at the national and regional level, must endeavour to fish out the thugs who assaulted David and sanction them appropriately;
   3. The Ghana Police Service must speed up with investigations into the assault case and prosecute the perpetrators, and
   4. The Ghana Police must identify and sanction the purported police officer who invited David and watched on whilst the innocent morning show host was beaten mercilessly by thugs.

“…our call for total media blackout on Mavis Hawa Koomson is with immediate effect and until further notice.

“We may reconsider it when we see evidence of action by the NPP and the Ghana Police Service to identify, arrest and prosecute the thugs. We are following this case with keen interest and we shall periodically review it and update the general public on same,” the GJA President stated.

Below is the full Statement

SPEECH DELIVERED BY ALBERT KWABENA DWUMFOUR, PRESIDENT OF THE GHANA JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION, AT A NEWS CONFERENCE TO GIVE UPDATE ON THE CAPE COAST ASSAULT CASE, AT THE GHANA INTERNATIONAL PRESS CENTRE, ON JANUARY 25, 2024

Members of the National Executive of the GJA,
The representative of GIBA,
The representative of PRINPAG,
The representative of MFWA,
Colleague media practitioners,
Distinguished invited guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.

On behalf of the National Executive of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), I wish to welcome you all to this morning’s news conference. May I take this opportunity to thank you for your continuous support to the GJA in promoting the interests of journalists and other media practitioners in Ghana. I also wish to express profound gratitude to representatives of our media partners here who responded to our invitation at a very short notice. Furthermore, I warmly welcome from Cape Coast, Kingsley Nana Buadu, the Central Region Secretary of the GJA and David Kobenna, the morning show host of Cape FM, both of whom had traveled from Cape Coast to attend this morning news conference.

Colleagues, on 8th January, 2024, we addressed a news conference here at the Gifty Affenyi Dadzie Conference Room and presented a wide-range of activities lined up for the GJA and the entire media fraternity in Ghana this year. But within the many positive outlooks for the year we shared with you, one bad nut gave us sour taste.

Colleagues, the bad nut I am referring to is the assault against David Kobenna, who is here with us this morning. He was assaulted on Thursday, 4th January, 2024, at the Central Regional vetting of parliamentary aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), held at the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) by some thugs, numbering about 15 and wearing a branded T-shirt of Mavis Hawa Koomson, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Awutu-Senya East. The thugs mistook David for another person they alleged had insulted the MP, who is also the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development.

Colleagues, we are informed that a man believed to be a police officer invited unsuspecting David to establish his identity. David produced his media house ID Card as evidence of his identity. But in the process of doing so, someone slapped him from behind and other thugs joined in the assault, beating him mercilessly. Unfortunately, the purported police officer who invited David for engagement, did not stop the thugs from assaulting the innocent morning show host.

Colleagues, what everyone needs to appreciate is the fact that these thugs would have killed David but for the timely intervention of some of his colleagues around. They did not care about the evidence David showed them that he is not the one they were accusing. That is how unreasonable they are. It is important to appreciate the gesture of Peter Mac Manu, a former national chairman of the NPP, who chaired one of the regional vetting committees, and who offered Ghc1400 to be given to David to cater for his hospital bills, after his attention had been drawn to the incident;

Colleagues, you may recall that in our 8th January news conference, we made the following demands:
1. That the NPP, at the regional and national levels, must investigate the matter immediately and identify the culprits;
2. That the NPP, at the regional and national levels, must sanction the perpetrators of the assault on David;
3. That the Ghana Police Service must investigate the incident immediately and speedily in order to prosecute the culprits, and
4. That the Ghana Police Service must investigate and identify the purported police officer who invited David before he was assaulted, and bring him to face sanctions for unprofessional conduct.

Colleagues, you may also recall that we had served notice that if by close of Friday, January 12, 2024, our demands had not been met, we shall advise ourselves accordingly. Following the news conference, we submitted written petitions to the NPP, both at the national and regional levels, and the Ghana Police Service, pursuant to our demands. The deadline has long passed and we are here to report back to you and the nation at large.

Colleagues, we regret to inform you that nothing, absolutely nothing, has been done by the NPP and the Police in respect of our demands. Three weeks after the assault, no arrests have been made and justice has been denied David whilst the thugs continue to walk freely and emboldened to unleash more venom on other persons very soon.

In the light of the cold silence by the NPP and the Police on the case, especially to bring the perpetrators to face the law;

Considering the unabated cases of attacks against journalists and other media practitioners in recent times;

Following the intel we had picked last year regarding plots by some political actors to attack journalists and other media practitioners severely and rampantly this year as a strategy to put fear in media practitioners during the electioneering;

Having consulted with our partner institutions, including GIBA and PRINPAG, as well as senior members of the Association,

The Ghana Journalists Association hereby calls as follows:
5. All media houses must give total media blackout to Mavis Hawa Koomson and stay away from her as MP, Minister of State or any other public capacity and position she may hold. This is because we believe there are thugs, unreasonable and evil-minded people around the MP who pose serious threat to the lives of journalists and other media practitioners. I must emphasise that we have nothing against the person of the MP but we are scared of people around her;
6. The NPP leadership, at the national and regional level, must endeavour to fish out the thugs who assaulted David and sanction them appropriately;
7. The Ghana Police Service must speed up with investigations into the assault case and prosecute the perpetrators, and
8. The Ghana Police must identify and sanction the purported police officer who invited David and watched on whilst the innocent morning show host was beaten mercilessly by thugs.

Colleagues, our call for total media blackout on Mavis Hawa Koomson is with immediate effect and until further notice. We may reconsider it when we see evidence of action by the NPP and the Ghana Police Service to identify, arrest and prosecute the thugs. We are following this case with keen interest and we shall periodically review it and update the general public on same.

Colleagues, we urge all media houses to rally behind our call and ensure that it has a biting effect. This call is in our collective interest. Let’s bear in mind that there are dangerous people around Mavis Hawa Koomson; they can kill you! Whether you are in the studio, home, church, mosque, or public gathering, they can come for your life. That is because they are unreasonable. Just stay away from her and be safe!

Thank you for your kind attention.