Ghana ALERT: Journalists attacked while working

Four journalists in Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region of Ghana were on August 1, 2008 attacked by supporters of the country’s two main political parties, while covering the ongoing voters’ registration exercise in the city.

Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)’s correspondent reported that the incident occurred at a registration centre in the Tamale Central Constituency, when confusion broke out between supporters of ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition party National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The journalists involved were Alhassan Abdul Ganiuw Brigandi, reporter of The Independent, Isaac Nongya reporter of Metropolitan TV (Metro TV) and his cameraman and Kwabena Ntow photographer of The Chronicle.

Brigandi, according to a report in the August 5 edition of The Independent was violently attacked by a group of NDC supporters while giving a live report to an Accra-based independent radio station, Citi FM about some minors allegedly brought by the NDC to registration centre to be registered.

“I was giving a report on what was happening at the polling station to my superiors in Accra, when I heard a voice say, I was an NPP sympathizer. Before I could say jack, they started throwing stones at me and beat me up.”, the newspaper quoted Brigandi as saying.
 
Brigandi sustained serious body injuries and was admitted at the Tamale regional hospital.

The Metro TV   crew was also chased away while they were covering the violence. MFWA learnt that the crew was save d by the constituency chairman of the NDC.

Both parties have since denied responsibility and condemned the attacks.

Media Foundation for West Africa