The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has strongly condemned the unlawful arrest and detention of broadcast journalist, Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah, by National Security operatives.
In a statement, issued and signed by the General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the NPP said, “This unlawful action by the marauding operatives of the National Security is the latest installment of the ongoing series of state-sponsored attacks on the media by the NDC government, in their desperate attempt to silence the media and curtail press freedom.”
The party also commended the many Ghanaians who spoke out against the arrest and the team of lawyers who worked to secure Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah’s release.
“We commend the many well-meaning Ghanaians who spoke loudly against this shameful conduct by the National Security,” the NPP stated.
“We also commend the young people and the team of lawyers who stormed the National Security Secretariat this evening to see to the release of the abducted journalist.”
The NPP reminded President John Mahama and his government that Ghana is a free country that upholds democratic principles, including press freedom.
“The Ghana that was bequeathed to them on January 7, 2025, was a free country,” the party stated. “It was the bastion of democracy, underpinned not only by the existence of functioning democratic institutions but also by our unflinching commitment to upholding press freedom as enshrined in Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution.”
The party also quoted the country’s efforts in repealing the Criminal and Seditious Libel Law in 2001, which was spearheaded by the immediate past President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who was then the Attorney General of the Republic.
“In line with this commitment, the country also went through the painstaking process of repealing the Criminal and Seditious Libel Law in 2001, a process that was spearheaded by the immediate past President, Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, who was then the Attorney General of the Republic,” the NPP stated
Addison Home
Meanwhile, the home of Dr. Ernest Addison, former Governor of the Bank of Ghana, was raided by a team of heavily armed men numbering about 20 led by Richard Jakpa, Director of Special Operations at the National Security Secretariat.
The raid, which occurred on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, left Dr. Addison, his wife, and their family traumatized.
A close associate of the Addison family described the scene as “scary and messy.”
A former retired senior official of the central bank also expressed outrage, stating, “This is the first time in the history of Ghana that such a thing is happening to a Governor of the Bank of Ghana.”
The NPP has called on the Ghana Journalist Association, the Media Foundation for West Africa, Civil Society Organizations, and all stakeholders to join them in demanding an immediate cessation of state-sponsored attacks on the media.
“We call on the Ghana Journalist Association, the Media Foundation for West Africa, Civil Society Organizations, and all stakeholders to join us in demanding an immediate cessation of this tyranny and growing culture of state-sponsored attacks on the media,” the party stated. “Enough is enough.”
-BY Daniel Bampoe
