Accra: The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has condemned the assault on JoyNews journalist Latif Iddrisu by security agents and supporters of Ghana's opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to Ghana News Agency, on May 27, 2025, Iddrisu was reporting live from the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), where NPP supporters had gathered to protest the arrest of Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi. A statement issued by MFWA in Accra said that while covering the protest, Iddrisu was first confronted by security personnel, who seized his mobile phone and forced him to delete recorded videos.
Later during the coverage, he was shoved and heckled by NPP supporters unhappy with his live report. According to a JoyNews statement, Iddrisu was struck on the head, and a pebble and rubber band were reportedly used as weapons in a separate incident. The National Youth Organiser of the NPP, Salam Mustapha, later intervened and issued an apology for the actions of the party supporters. However, he also insisted that the journalist should report on the phone seizure and deletion of footage by the security agents, something Iddrisu had already reported.
JoyNews has formally reported the matter to the police, calling for a swift investigation and prosecution of the attackers. The station welcomed the NPP's apology but expects the party's full cooperation with law enforcement authorities. The MFWA has joined JoyNews in demanding a swift investigation and prosecution of those involved.
'We also call on the Executive Director of EOCO, Raymond Archer, a former journalist himself, to investigate and sanction the security agents responsible for the phone seizure and forced deletion of footage. The assault does not only violate the journalist's rights but also undermine press freedom and the public's right to information,' the statement said.