Top Journalists Reveal How NPP Members have threatened their Lives

On Accra-based Joy FM’s Newsfile on Saturday, a group of seasoned journalists revealed deadly threats that members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) have made against them in the line of duty.

The journalists included Afia Pokuaa, Serwaa Amihere, Evans Mensah and Manassah Azure.

Show host, Lawyer Sampson Lardy Anyenini had his own experience to share as well.

“I got a call from one of the leading members of the New Patriotic Party, who was also a good friend. He threatened me seriously. But because of the security I had even though my family was uncomfortable about it, I was a bit okay with that. We know that it is a risky act when projecting an election but we must find out how we can solve it”, Lawyer Anyenini said.

Serwaa Amihere revealed the government has been sending hatchet men to threaten her and also troll her on social media.

As for Afia Pokuaa, she has vowed that she will not cover the upcoming 2024 elections for fear that she will be attacked if she does.

The revelations come in the wake of Ghana’s disgraceful performance on the league of country rankings on media compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

From a position of being 30th in the world, the country plummeted 30 places to 60th on the Index so that even military-run Burkina Faso was adjudged freer than Ghana on press freedom.

Ghana was formerly one of Africa’s most vibrant democracies until Akufo-Addo became President, according to data from the Press Freedom ranking.

The Akufo-Addo administration has superintended over the killing of at least one journalist (Ahmed Hussein Suale) who was exposing corruption at the Jubilee House at the time of his assassination.

Other totalitarian phenomena under the administration include the arrest and molestation of dozens of journalists by national security agents; murderous threats on the lives of journalists, including Manasseh Awuni who had to briefly flee to South Africa and the deliberate close down of radio stations perceived to be aligned to the opposition.

Mr. Akufo-Addo has also been clamping down on free speech with Gestapo-styled arrests of ordinary citizens who post on social media.

In response to the poor showing on the press freedom index, the government through information minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has attacked RSF accusing it of bias and allowing itself to be misled by propaganda.

Oppong Nkrumah, a former broadcaster at Joy FM also claims Ghana’s poor showing was due to RSF changing methodology.

According to the hysterical Information Minister, the disgraceful press freedom ranking of the government was caused by “non-state actors”.

Meanwhile, these attempts by the minister to explain away the government’s culpability in the prevailing brutal dictatorship has only attracted scorn from the general public.

Source: whatsupnewsghana