On July 11, a group of men overran a polling station in Ablekuma North constituency and assaulted a candidate, forcing voting to be temporarily suspended.

Kwabena Agyekum Banahene, a reporter with GHOne TV, told CPJ that amid the turmoil, a police officer asked him to leave the area and slapped and pushed him. Banahene’s mouth was injured, according to GhanaWeb.

At the same polling station, ATV Ghana reporter Vida Wiafe was hit with pepper spray deployed by police, according to a video posted by Metro TV Ghana. CPJ could not confirm whether the journalist was deliberately targeted. 

In a third incident at the polling station, a partially masked man struck with his hand and shoved Joy News reporter Sally Martey from behind, a video posted by the outlet showed.

“The July 11 assaults on journalists Kwabena Agyekum Banahene and Sally Martey, as well as the tear-gassing of reporter Vida Wiafe, are just the latest examples of the threats regularly faced by journalists in Ghana,” said CPJ Regional Director Angela Quintal. “There has not been enough accountability for attacks on the press — it should be a top priority for authorities.”

In a July 12 statement, police promised to arrest anyone found to have engaged in acts of violence during the Ablekuma North elections. Banahene told CPJ that he reported his attack to the police and the officer involved was suspended and charged. 

In April, CPJ wrote to President John Dramani Mahama — on his 100^th day in office— to call for swift investigations into cases of attacks against the press.

CPJ’s calls and text messages seeking comment from police spokesperson Grace Ansah-Akrofi received no response.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

Tawiah told CPJ he provided police with a written statement about the assault on January 2, 2025, as well as phone numbers and photos of those who led the attackers, which he obtained through his own investigations. No one has been arrested in the case.

“Environmental reporting is an increasingly dangerous beat in Ghana, and it is essential that authorities identify and hold accountable those responsible for attacking journalist Ohemeng Tawiah,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program, from New York. “Ghanaian authorities must swiftly and thoroughly conclude their investigation and publicly share their findings. This is crucial to preventing the culture of impunity that often surrounds the targeting of the press in the country.”

Tawiah, assistant news editor at the privately owned Joy News outlet, had reported on allegations of illegal mining at the site earlier in December and told CPJ he obtained permission from police to join and report on their investigations.  

At the site’s entrance, police arrested some suspected illegal miners, Tawiah told CPJ. Armed men then arrived, demanded the release of the men, and then began throwing stones at police, Tawiah, and other civilians waiting inside a police vehicle.

As Tawiah tried to escape, a stone hit his chest, and he fell to the ground, he told CPJ. When the attackers caught up, they attacked him with stones and machetes. They also took the reporters’ phones and money and destroyed Kusi’s camera.

Tawiah said he bled profusely from a major cut to his head, was hospitalized for two days, and was treated for injuries to his head, chest, and fingers, and multiple cuts to his body, including what appeared to be attempts to cut off his leg. He still suffers from severe chest pains and headaches. Kusi was uninjured. 

CPJ’s calls and text messages to police spokesperson Grace Ansah-Akrofi asking for updates on the investigation did not receive any replies.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.