GHOne TV reporter Kwabena Agyekum Banahene was covering a local election when a police officer asked him to leave the area and slapped and pushed him. (Screenshot: GhanaWeb/YouTube)Abuja, July 24, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ghanaian authorities to ensure the safety of journalists reporting on elections, after three incidents during a local election on the outskirts of the capital, Accra.
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 pepper-spraying 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 100th 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.
Editor’s note: This text has been updated in the sixth paragraph to correct the description of the attack on Martey.
