The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) strongly condemns the assault on JoyNews journalist, Latif Iddrisu, by security agents and supporters of Ghana’s opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), in Accra.
On May 27, 2025, Iddrisu was reporting live from the premises of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), where NPP supporters had gathered to protest the arrest of the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
While covering the protest, Iddrisu was first confronted by security personnel deployed at the scene, who seized his mobile phone and forced him to delete videos he had recorded.
Later during the coverage, he was shoved and heckled by a group of NPP supporters unhappy with his live report of the unfolding events. According to a JoyNews statement, Iddrisu was struck on the head, and a pebble and rubber band were reportedly used as weapons in a separate incident.
The journalist repeatedly informed his viewers on air that he was being assaulted. In the midst of the confrontation, one protester demanded to be interviewed and then used the opportunity to deny the assault and accuse Iddrisu of false reporting, despite the attack being captured on video.
The National Youth Organiser of the NPP, Salam Mustapha, later intervened and issued an apology for the actions of the party supporters. However, he also insisted that the journalist should report on the phone seizure and deletion of footage by the security agents, something Iddrisu had already reported.
JoyNews has formally reported the matter to the police and called for a swift investigation and prosecution of the individuals involved. The station has welcomed the NPP’s apology but expects the party’s full cooperation with law enforcement authorities.
The MFWA joins JoyNews in calling for a swift investigation and prosecution of the attackers whose actions were captured on video. We also call on the Executive Director of EOCO, Raymond Archer, a former journalist himself, to investigate and sanction the security agents responsible for the phone seizure and forced deletion of footage. The assault does not only violate the journalist’s rights but also undermine press freedom and the public’s right to information.
