On August 12, 2025, unidentified armed men abducted Akyemkwaa Nana Kofi Asare, a presenter with Wontumi TV, in Ejisu Krapa in Ghana’s Ashanti Region.
Eyewitnesses reported that the men arrived in unmarked vehicles, fired warning shots, and chased the journalist as he attempted to flee. The hooded assailants forcibly put him into a waiting pickup truck and drove off without revealing their identities or intentions. His whereabouts remained unknown for several hours until colleagues later said he was being held at the Police Headquarters in Accra.
The abduction occurred three days after Asare made on-air allegations that President John Dramani Mahama was linked to a recent fatal military helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight people including the Minister of Defence and the Minister of Environment Science, Technology and Innovation.
On the day of the abduction, Wontumi TV issued a public apology to President Mahama and the general public. The station described the remarks as “inappropriate, unfounded, and contrary” to its editorial standards, stressing that the allegations were made without evidence and did not reflect its policies. Management promised disciplinary action against the presenter and said editorial guidelines had been reinforced to ensure content is based only on verified facts.
The whereabouts of the journalist were uncertain until it was revealed by one of his colleagues that the journalist was being held at the Police headquarters in Accra less than 24 hours after the abduction.
It is unfortunate and concerning that, in a country renowned for its democratic stability like Ghana, journalists can be arrested without any clear legal procedure. Such arrests, which resemble practices typical of authoritarian regimes, not only undermine public trust in institutions but also infringe upon the fundamental principles of the rule of law, such as respect for due process and the protection of human rights.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) condemns the manner of the journalist’s arrest and urges authorities to investigate the incident and ensure that the highest standards of professionalism and due process is followed in any arrest. We also strongly condemn the remarks made by the journalist and emphasise that such unfounded and reckless allegations against public officials undermine professional journalism, erode public trust in the media, and risk inflaming tensions in the country.
Ghana’s 1992 Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and media freedom, freedoms the MFWA defends for constructive reasons, such as ensuring an open and healthy civic space that contributes to governance processes, demanding transparency and accountability in government, encouraging civic participation in governance, and promoting the creation, sharing, and distribution of information for various purposes, including personal development.
The MFWA, therefore, calls on all journalists and media organisations to uphold the right to expression as sacred and use it responsibly to sustain the relatively nascent democracies in the region and for the overall development of all.
