The Ghana Armed Forces has launched an investigation into the assault of Solomon Kwame Kanaluwe, a journalist with the Media General Group, by military personnel in Walewale, in Ghana’s North East Region.
The investigation was announced in a press statement issued on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, and signed by Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin of the Ghana Navy, the Acting Director General of Public Relations of the Ghana Armed Forces.
Soldiers in Walewale assaulted and detained Kanaluwe, the North East Regional correspondent for the Media General Group, over where he had parked his motorbike.
Kanaluwe told the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) that he had parked his motorbike in front of a shop when about four soldiers approached and began asking for its owner. He said the soldiers claimed that dealing with anyone who disrupts their operations was part of their duties.
According to the journalist, one of the soldiers showed him a section of what he described as the military code of ethics on a mobile phone. The provision allegedly stated that when personnel are on duty and someone obstructs them, they may subject the person to what was described as minor punishment.
Kanaluwe said the soldiers seized his mobile phone and detained him for some time. He added that the phone was later returned after the soldiers copied some of his contacts and forwarded selected messages to their personal phones. He said when he received the phone, all data on the device had been deleted.
In its statement, the Ghana Armed Forces attributed the incident to worsening security conditions in the region. It said recent attacks on public transport in the North East and Upper East Regions, which resulted in casualties, had led to intensified military operations, sometimes conducted without prior notice.
Meanwhile, the national executive committee of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) at a press briefing condemned the recent attacks on journalists and has demanded for immediate sanctions against security personnel over multiple assaults on journalists.
The GJA is demanding clear directives from all security services prohibiting the assault, obstruction or intimidation of journalists and adequate police protection for journalists under threat, particularly in the Upper East Region.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) commends the military high command for its prompt response and the decision to launch an investigation into the incident. The Foundation also commends the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA)’s demand for immediate sanctions against security personnel over multiple assaults on journalists in recent weeks.
MFWA urges the Ghana Armed Forces to ensure transparency by keeping the public informed of the outcome of the investigation. The Foundation also calls on the military authorities to provide updates on investigations into the assault of two journalists by soldiers in the North East Region in 2025, as well as reported complaints of military assaults on civilians in the area.
MFWA stresses the need for accountability and professionalism in all security operations and reiterates that civilians (including journalists) must be protected, even in the context of heightened security operations.
