President John Dramani Mahama has warned that his administration will not tolerate assaults on journalists, confirming that personnel involved in the recent attack on a reporter at Kasoa have been identified and interdicted.
According to the President, journalists and security officers play complementary roles in society, and attacks on media practitioners undermine democratic accountability and public information.
Speaking during a working visit to the headquarters of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation in Accra on January 8, 2026, President Mahama condemned the repeated harassment of journalists in the line of duty.
He said government has been engaging the Ghana Journalists Association and has linked them with security agencies to address the recent assault of a Class FM journalist.
“I’m a journalist by training and so there’s no way we’ll countenance the continued assault on journalists.”
“We’ve been in touch with the Ghana Journalists Association on these issues, we’ve put them in touch with the security services.”
President Mahama stressed the need for a shift in mindset among some security personnel, noting that journalists are not adversaries but partners in public service.
“We need a reorientation of many of our security personnel to understand that just as they’re doing their job of providing peace and safety, journalists are also doing their job of informing the people.”
He explained that both journalists and security officers ultimately serve the same national interest and that incidents of abuse must be addressed decisively whenever they occur.
He stressed that occasionally, when these things come up they should be dealt with as firmly as possible.
Touching on the recent incident during Kasoa Market fire, President Mahama disclosed that steps have already been taken against the officers involved.
“The minister of government communication has taken it up, I think the officers have been identified, they’ve been interdicted and an investigation is ongoing. We won’t countenance assault on journalists.”
On January 5, 2026, Samuel Addo, a journalist with Class Media Group’s, was allegedly assaulted by personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service while covering a fire outbreak at the Kasoa New Market.
Reports indicate that Addo was filming firefighters at the scene when he was confronted by an officer.
Despite identifying himself as a journalist, he was allegedly manhandled by about ten fire officers, who reportedly tore his belt and seized his mobile phone.
President Mahama’s visit to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation forms part of a scheduled tour of major media houses in the Ghana, aimed at assessing their operations and outlining the government’s plans for the media sector in 2026.
