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Tamale, Ghana – Six journalists in the Northern Region on Saturday October 6, 2018 escaped a mob attack from some irate students of the Nyankpala campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS).
The journalists who were all invited by management of the UDS to provide press coverage for the university’s 26th matriculation ceremony held at the Nyankpala campus on Saturday morning were verbally assaulted.
But for the timely intervention of authorities of the university, the journalists who were from different media houses would have been lynched by the irate-looking students purported to have been led by the Nyankpala campus SRC President and his other executives.
The journalists are Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed, Editor of Zaa Radio, Mr. Albert Futukpor, GNA Chief Reporter, Mr. Ben Daily Guide Reporter, Mr. Samuel Sam, Business and Financial Times Northern Regional Editor and Mr. Abdul Washeed and MR. Eyor Zamani, UTV Regional Editor and Cameraman respectively.
But unfortunately for the Northern Region Regional Editor of UTV, his motorbike was vandalized.
According to Mr. Ibrahim who spoke to Savannah News, the SRC President and his colleagues who are yet to be identified by their names were avenging a supposed negative reportage carried out by some sections of the Ghanaian media alleging that the University’s SRC had organized a “sex party” for fresh students.
The said reportage which he said angered the SRC President and his colleagues as well as some of the students, gave the former justifiable reasons to attack the six journalists while they were on official assignment on the Nyankpala campus.
When Contacted, Mr. Washeed confirmed the incident to Savannah New and said he expressed shock when he was told that some of the SRC executives were communication students.
Although he has reported the incident to the Lamashegu Division of the Ghana Police Service, Mr. Washeed is demanding that the University SRC replaces his damaged motorbike.
Meanwhile, the Northern Regional chapter of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has condemned the unruly behaviour of the UDS SRC executives.
According to a statement signed by its Chairman Caesar Abagali, the Association said it sees the attack as “primitive, barbaric, callous and backward, and blatant attack on press freedom. This must not be encouraged and the GJA condemns the act.
“We are even more surprised that students who are in school to learn and whose parents are toiling to pay fees are rather concerned about organizing sex parties other than exploring employable and business opportunities”, the statement said.
The statement added that “the GJA respects UDS and cherish the working relationship that had been forged over a long period. We are therefore calling on the UDS authorities to institute immediate sanctions acceptable to GJA including replacing damaged equipment and paying for hospital bills as well as offering an unqualified apology to the reporter, UTV and the GJA”.
The statement also on the police to immediately arrest the Nyankpala campus President of UDS and thoroughly investigate the matter. “We are giving the UDS authorities seven days to swiftly respond to our demands so as not to mar the long working relationship between it and the media”.
By Savannahnewsonline.com/Philip Liebs
