Assault on journalists: Insist on results – Security Analyst urges GJA leaders

Security analyst Emmanuel Kotin has called on the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to demand actual justice for the two journalists allegedly assaulted by a Police Commander during the Ablekuma North parliamentary election rerun on July 11.

While applauding the GJA President’s initial call for accountability, Kotin warned against falling into a cycle of “hopelessness” where nothing concrete is done.

“This shouldn’t be another incident we cry over and forget,” he said.

“Let’s not settle for sympathy. Let’s insist on results,” Kotin stressed.

He acknowledged that heightened public emotions are understandable, especially after seeing visuals of the female journalist’s bruises and hearing accounts of the slap.

Still, he urged for a professional, fact-based probe preferably by an independent body to ensure fairness for both the journalists and the officer involved.

“Professional police must act professionally. And that includes owning up when things go wrong,” Kotin said.

He challenged the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to see this as a turning point, calling for real deterrents and institutional reforms that protect both journalists and citizens from abuse.

Kotin also criticized the Ghana Police Service for what he calls a “cosmetic” interdiction of the Divisional Commander involved in the alleged assault on a journalist in the Ablekuma North constituency.

Speaking on the Keypoints on July 12, Kotin expressed shock that a senior officer was directly involved in an operational matter during a tense political exercise, questioning the professionalism and coordination within the Regional Command.

“He shouldn’t have been directly involved if the ethics of professionalism were at play,” Kotin said.

“The interdiction was swift, but to me, it’s cosmetic.”

He argued that such disciplinary actions in Ghana rarely lead to meaningful change and often serve only to de-escalate public anger.

The officer in question, now referred to the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau (PIPS), will be investigated by his own colleagues something Kotin sees as problematic.

“We’ve seen this before. Journalists don’t get justice. The system shields its own,” he added, calling for an independent police commission to handle such cases.

Kotin insists that while accountability is essential, it must be done fairly and transparently to both protect the public and preserve the morale of law-abiding officers.

He repeated his description of the country’s presidential jet as a flying coffin.

According to him, the current state of the aircraft makes it a security risk for anyone who uses it.

“Six years ago, I described it as a flying coffin. That is what it is. Let’s put politics aside, let’s treat this as a national emergency,” he said on the KeyPoints on July 12.

Mr Kotin was contributing to discussions on the state of the presidential jet.

His comment comes after the Defence Minister, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, revealed that the aircraft is in a bad state.