ACCRA, July 6, 2018 (GJA) – The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has expressed deep concern about the “tardy” approach of police investigations into the assault of Latif Iddrisu, a journalist with the Multimedia Group Limited, by some police officers, and indicated its intention to petition the presidency on the matter.

“We also intend to explore other avenues for human rights redress, both at the national and international levels, as well as any other measure that would bring justice to Latif,” the GJA President, Affail Monney, said at a news conference at the Ghana International Press Centre Friday.

Almost four months after Latif was brutally assaulted allegedly by some police officers at the Headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Accra while covering a protest by some members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the police are yet to find the culprits.

Mr Monney, said the Association would not flinch in its resolve to find justice for Latif and renewed GJA’s appeal to the Inspector-General of Police to expedite action on investigations into the case.

“We wish to reiterate that the GJA is fully committed to building healthy police-media relations, given the fact that we have a common objective of seeking the interest and security of the public, as well as the development of the nation. But we will not sacrifice our dignity and life on the altar of friendship,” he said.

Below is the full speech delivered by the GJA President at the news conference:

By Peter Crabbe

Speech Delivered By Affail Monney, President Of The Ghana Journalists Association, On The Handling Of Latif Iddrisu’s Assault Case By The Ghana Police Service, At A Press Conference Held At The Ghana International Press Centre, On Friday, July 6, 2018

Mr Chairman,

Distinguished invited guests,

Colleague journalists,

Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the National Executive of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and on my own behalf, I wish to express profound gratitude to all of you for honouring our invitation at a very short notice. We believe your prompt response to our invitation and the large attendance at this press conference even at short notice, is ample evidence of your high interest in the matters to be discussed this morning.

 Background

In March 2018, a group of demonstrators believed to be supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) besieged the environs of the Headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service in Accra to protest against the arrest of the party’s Deputy General Secretary, Koku Anyidoho. In discharging their cardinal responsibility to keep the public informed about happenings in the country, journalists from various media houses were on call at the scene. In the course of covering the demonstration some police officers brutally assaulted Latif Iddrisu, a journalist with the Multimedia Group Limited. His crime was asking for the name of a police vehicle. The brutal assault did not only leave Latif traumatized for many days; it also left him battling with life, as he suffered severe bodily harm, including damage to his skull.

Colleagues in the media, following the assault case, the GJA issued a press statement to unequivocally condemn the unwarranted attack on Latif and called for an immediate investigation into the matter and punishment of the perpetrators. The National Executive of the GJA did not leave the matter there; it pursued it further with the Police Administration at a meeting held at the Police Headquarters on Monday, April 16, 2018. The GJA National Executive was led by the President, Affail Monney, while the Police Administration was led by the Inspector-General of Police.

At the meeting, the IGP gave a firm assurance of prompt police investigation into the assault case and that appropriate action would be taken against any police officer found culpable in the said assault case. In order to build and promote positive relations between the police and the media in the future, the two parties agreed at the meeting to organize joint training workshops and other programmes to enable journalists and police officers appreciate each other’s role better. Indeed, discussions at the meeting were very warm and the prospects of healthy police-media relations were very bright. However, those bright lights have been dimmed significantly because almost three months after the meeting with the Police Administration, and four months after Latif had been assault, the police are yet to report on the outcome of its investigations into the matter. Given the national and international interests this case has generated, and more importantly, the precarious health condition of Latif, we find the approach of police investigations in this matter tardy.

Excuse by police

Colleagues in the media, a recent interview by  Commissioner of Police (COP) Nathan Kofi Boakye, on the police handling of the matter on an Accra-based television station leaves us more worried:

“The journalists himself could not identify the people even if we assemble them. And all those around could not identify the culprits because it was dark and in an alley. So we are still trying to identify the police men…. If the person assaulted cannot identify them, then it behooves on us to use other means to identify the policemen, which we are earnestly doing. But the assurance is that if through our CCTV and other things we are able to identify the police men, then the law will take its cause…. So for Latif, we are all concerned; we worked with him, and we’ll do everything possible to solve this particular problem in order to maintain the cordial relationship between we and the press”

The foregoing transcript of COP Kofi Boakye’s comments makes us wonder about the commitment of the Ghana Police Service in ensuring justice prevail for our colleague Latif. So the Police is telling Ghanaians that all these while, they have not watched the CCTV footage? Or are they saying they do not have the footage? And when will they want to access the footage?

This comment by the Director-General of the Police Intelligence and Professional Bureau (PIPS),  rather confirms suspicions that when it comes to Police dealing with their own, time does not matter. Not to bore you with this old saying, Justice Delayed, is Justice denied.

But here is why WE cannot buy into the reasons given for the delay in finding justice. First, we recall events in February 2000 when the police arrested Charles Ebo Quansah, a serial killer, who was later convicted for strangling nine women in Accra. Although ‘The Accra Strangler’ as Quansah was known, operated clandestinely when the nation was asleep, the police managed to arrest him.

We also recall the tragic incident in Ablekuma in or around 2008 when two police General Constables – Owusu Sekyere alias ‘Kwaku Ninja’ and Jerry Wornu alias ‘Taller’ were brutally murdered and secretly buried under concrete. But the police managed to find and exhume the bodies of the two officers, and also arrest and prosecute the culprits.

We further recall the sad case of Constable Michael Kporyi who was killed by two gunmen on his motorbike at Yellow Signboard, a suburb of Michel Camp in June 2017. Barely three weeks later, police managed to track and kill one of the gunmen in a shootout. We also recall how the police, in less than one week, arrested the killers of a police man, Constable Duku Nicholas, in Tarkwa, who stole Ghc900,000 belonging to an Indian company. The police subsequently killed one of the suspects who attempted to escape from custody.

In these instances and many others that cannot be cited for want of time, the police have acted with speed to get results even when the victims were dead and there were no witnesses around. The police have used intelligence, rather than victims’ or witnesses’ identification of suspects, to effect arrest or get results. So the assertion that Latif could not identify his assailants and people around could also not do likewise because the place he was assaulted was an alley and dark is a far cry of the ability of the police to deliver results even under more challenging circumstances as already demonstrated.

The Ghana Police Service is held in high esteem in international circles, given the professional excellence exhibited by Ghanaian police officers on peacekeeping mission abroad. Again, the CID is highly reputed for its intelligence disposition to unravel complex situations in the past. So it is mind-boggling that four months after an assault case had taken place at the CID Headquarters, the citadel of police intelligence, culprits have not even been identified probably because the incident happened in the dark and an alley.

Vision of Ghana Police Service

Colleagues in the media, listen to the vision of the Ghana Police Service as retrieved from its website www.police.gov.gh :

“Our vision at the Ghana Police Service is to be a world-class Police Service capable of delivering Planned, Democratic, Protective and Peaceful services up to standards of international best practice”

Now the pertinent question to ask is: how does the attitude of the police in the Latif case fulfil the laudable vision of the service? Is this reflective of a world-class police service?

Media Foundation dialogue with the police

Colleagues in the media, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has invited the GJA to attend a workshop at the Police Headquarters on Wednesday, July 11, 2018 to discuss and promote good relations between the police and the media. Given the manner the police have handled the Latif case, we do not find any compelling reason to participate in such dialogue. It will amount to sweeping the dust under the carpet or playing the ostrich when the real issue underpinning the cordiality of our relationship has not been dealt with. Consequently, we will not attend the proposed forum with the police on Wednesday and we urge our members to boycott same.

Way forward

Colleagues in the media, the GJA will not flinch in its resolve to pursue justice for Latif. We wish to take this opportunity to once again appeal to the IGP to expedite action on the investigations. We may, going forward, petition the Vice President who is the Chairman of the Police Council or the President himself on this matter. We also intend to explore other avenues for human rights redress, both at the national and international levels, as well as any other measure that would bring justice to Latif.

What we need to bear in mind, and which the GJA genuinely wish to avoid, is that, all these intended actions would not paint a positive image of Ghana in the eyes of the international community in general and foreign investors in particular. They may do colossal damage to the economic prospects of the country. That is not our wish for the nation and so we expect the police to do what it ought to do.

Colleagues in the media, the handling of Latif’s case by the police reinforces the need for the establishment of an Independent Police Commission to handle such cases. There is no doubt that the PIPS has failed to live up to expectation in such cases. In any event, the PIPS as it exist now is an affront to the maxim that ‘You cannot be a judge in your own case’.

Finally, we wish to reiterate that the GJA is fully committed to building healthy police – media relations, given the fact that we have a common objective of seeking the interest and security of the public, as well as the development of the nation. But we will not sacrifice our dignity and life on the altar of friendship

Thank you for your attention.