Today, the 14th of May, 2024, marks exactly one month since some unknown assailants attacked the head office of private Ghanaian media organisation, Class Media Group, and vandalized the premises. Sadly, the perpetrators have not yet been identified to face the law.
Class Media Group operates Class TV and Class FM, and are perceived to be pro-opposition.
It would be recalled that on Thursday, April 24, 2024, four persons riding on motorbikes invaded the precincts of the Headquarters of the Class Media Group, based in Labone, Accra, and attacked the property with bottles of Molotov cocktail (aka petrol bombs) and stones.
Footages of the attack which were captured by a close circuit television camera (cctv) show the perpetrators speeding away on their bikes after they volleyed the petrol bombs and stones into the building over the building’s fence wall. In the process, the perpetrators left glass doors at the reception area shattered.
On the one-month milestone of this attack, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), got back in touch with the media group’s General Manager, Abena Yiadom, who confirmed the lack of progress with police investigation into the case.
“The Police have not yet communicated any progress to us and we have no choice but to keep on waiting for them,” she said dejectedly in a phone conversation.
A few hours after the attack, Mrs. Yiadom recounted the incident.
“I got to work and found the glass at the reception broken and scattered. I asked the security on night duty what happened, and they explained that they saw two motorbikes ride to the wall and started pelting stones and after some time they fled the scene.”
The attackers also used cocktail Molotov which, fortunately had little impact.
Ms. Yiadom added, “We have no idea why the company was targeted.”
The CMG had gone on to file a complaint with the Cantonments Police Station, which said it had launched investigations. However, a month down the line, the Police are yet to bring the perpetrators to book.
This attack gives cause for serious concern in many respects – it advertises the fact that there are persons who harbour violent, and possibly, even murderous intentions towards the Class Media Group. As an active voice in the political space, the Class Media Group needs total assurance of its safety, as the December 7 general elections draw near.
Also, this attack is the fifth act of aggression against a media house in Ghana in recent times, beginning with a devastating invasion of Radio Ada (Greater Accra Region) on January 13, 2022. Other broadcast stations that have been attacked are Benya FM, (Elmina, Central Region), Radio Dagbon (Tamale, Northern Region) and UTV (Accra)
It is therefore important that the perpetrators of this attack are brought to book quickly to banish all fears and to deter future perpetrators of similar attacks on any media organisation.
In view of this, the MFWA urges the police to expedite action in tracking down the criminals to face the law.
