The Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, has strongly condemned the police officer who assaulted EIB Network reporter Kwabena Agyekum Banahene during the parliamentary election rerun in the Ablekuma North Constituency on Friday, July 11.
The incident, which was captured in a viral video, shows the officer physically attacking the journalist, who was clearly identified and dressed in a branded outfit while performing his duties.
Despite explaining his presence, Banahene was reportedly asked to leave the premises and subsequently slapped, sustaining injuries.
The EIB Network has condemned the assault and is calling on the government and security agencies to investigate the matter and hold the officer accountable. The media house also raised concerns about the rising trend of attacks on journalists while in the line of duty.
Addressing the media at the scene, Mayor Allotey described the officer as arrogant and unfit to maintain order at the polling station. He recalled his own encounter with the officer, saying:
“And I don’t know if the policeman-he has a very high temper. I was standing here, he tapped me to move. And I said, I’m the mayor. Then he jumped back. Imagine me being arrogant too. So we don’t want the police to listen to us and bring someone who is very calm because the police is calm before the policeman, this man came in. So they should bring a new person here to force law and order here.”
“He has slapped the guy, he slapped the guy. Because the woman confessed he slapped the guy. It looks like he has a different color. It looks like it’s an NPP man. Because the way he tapped me here, his colleagues can tell you, he was tapping me to go out. Then he realized I was a mayor, then he relaxed. You don’t do that. You don’t treat people anyhow. You don’t have to treat people. You have to know people before you treat them right. We are all Ghanaians.”
Following the incident, the Ghana Police Service announced the immediate interdiction of the officer and referred the case to the Police Professional Standards Bureau for investigation.
The rerun, supervised by the Electoral Commission (EC), is taking place in 19 polling stations across the Ablekuma North constituency. It aims to resolve verification issues that marred the December 2024 general elections.
Results from 18 of the 37 initially disputed polling stations were previously certified, leaving the remaining 19 for a fresh vote.
Ablekuma North has been without a Member of Parliament since 2024 due to the unresolved collation process.
The EC maintains that the rerun is necessary to conclude the matter and restore parliamentary representation to the area.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
