On June 25, 2026, senior officials and supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party stormed Obaatanpa Radio, a privately owned station in Kasoa in Ghana’s Central Region, assaulted a producer and forced the station off air for nearly three hours over comments made during a political talk show.
The attack followed remarks by Kofi Kyei Baffuor, host of the station’s morning political programme “Ghana Nkosuo”, who criticised the Central Regional Chairman of the National Democractic Congress political party (NDC), Richard Asiedu, for failing to address growing divisions and violence among party factions in the Awutu Senya East Constituency.
In an interview with the Media Foundation for West Aafrica (MFWA), the station’s producer, Bernard Mireku Nyanpong and the Central Regional Correspondent for Adom FM, Kofi Agyei who both witnessed the incident, mentioned seeing a group of men believed to be party supporters and bodyguards arriving at the station’s premises around 9:30am. They were led by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Awutu Senya East Constituency, Seth Sabah Serwonoo-Banini, the NDC Central Regional Chairman Dr Richard Asiedu and the Municipal Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Nash Nyande.
On arrival, Dr Asiedu demanded to know the whereabouts of the station manager, the programme producer and the host, saying he had seen a TikTok video in which the show host blamed him for the divisions and tensions within the NDC party. Upon spotting the host, Dr Asiedu allegedly confronted him aggressively, hurling insults and appearing ready to attack.
Nyanpong said Dr Asiedu and the MCE then threatened to shut the station down in attempt to assert their authority before heading to the reception in search of management. When he intervened to calm down the situation, he was accused of recording the confrontation. Upon hearing the accusation, Dr Asiedu reportedly approached Nyanpong, verbally abused him, struck him and grabbed him by the collar, tearing his shirt as he struggled free.
The MCE allegedly instructed the group to eject the staff from the premises. A staff member was forced to hand over the keys, and the group locked the building, preventing workers from retrieving their belongings and forcing Obaatanpa Radio off the air for nearly three hours.
Adom FM’s Kofi Agyei immediately contacted the Central East Regional Police Command to report the incident. Within minutes, police officers, accompanied by the commander of the Police Intelligence Unit (PIU), arrived at the station, retrieved the keys from the group, reopened the newsroom, and allowed staff to resume work.
Nyanpong lodged an official complaint with the Central East Regional Police Command over the assault and unlawful closure, supported by a medical report from the Kasoa Polyclinic documenting his injuries.
Dr Asiedu denied the allegations during an interview on Adom FM’s Midday News. He said the group neither sacked any worker nor lock the station: “I am not an MCE to close down a radio station, so it’s not true.” He said he had travelled from Cape Coast to Kasoa only to seek discussions over the station’s reporting on internal party matters, and blamed what he called the staff’s hostile attitude for the confrontation. He added that he had filed a lawsuit against Obaatanpa Radio at the High Court over what he described as persistent false reportage about the NDC in the Awutu Senya East Constituency.
The attack on Obaatanpa Radio is the latest in a recurring pattern of assaults on media houses in Ghana, frequently carried out by political party figures and their supporters. In June 2024, supporters of the then-ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) invaded the studio of Eagle FM in Walewale during a live political programme and assaulted a panellist who had criticised the party’s presidential candidate. In October 2023, about 20 people stormed Accra-based UTV during a live broadcast, intimidating the presenter and guests and forcing the station briefly off air. Earlier, in May 2023, a former NDC regional communications officer burst into Radio Dagbon in Tamale and assaulted a presenter live on air for being called out over some disparaging comments.
The MFWA condemns the storming of Obaatanpa Radio, the assault on its staff, and the shutdown of its newsroom. The MFWA calls on the Ghana Police Service to conduct a prompt, impartial and transparent investigation into the incident and to ensure that all those responsible, regardless of their political status or office, are held accountable. The MFWA further urges political parties and their supporters to respect the independence of the media and to resolve grievances through lawful and democratic means rather than intimidation or violence. Protecting journalists and media institutions from political interference is essential to safeguarding freedom of expression and strengthening Ghana’s democratic governance.
