Journalist Attacked At Asawase

Mr Emmanuel K. Duah, a reporter of Happy FM an Accra radio station, was on Thursday, 21st April 2005 attacked by thugs at Asawase, whilst on his rounds covering the by-election at Aboabo-Adukrom polling station.

He was beaten with cudgels and stones, till he dropped unconscious, and was rushed to City Hospital near the stadium, where two drips, were administered to revive him. The attackers allegedly mistook the reporter to be a New Patriotic Party (NPP) sympathizer.

Before the incident, there were reports of fighting and firing of gun-shots which compelled the police to fire back, to restore calm. At the time of filing the story, Mr Duah was still on admission to the Hospital, though he had gained consciousness. Narrating the incident to Daily Guide, Mr Duah said between 9.30 am and 10am, he was called by Edwin Arthur, the News Editor of the Independent Newspaper that there was a problem at a hotel at Aboabo.

According to him, he was told that some people had been taken hostage after the National Democratic Congress (NDC), had accused them of having been imported from Bawku, in the Upper East Reign, by NPP. The people, they indicated, were carrying knives, cudgels and talismans.

"So, I went there, and I heard a gun-shot. After getting down from the car, I tried to see what was happening that had resulted in the gunshot. He mentioned that when he got to the St. Patrick Hotel, he was told that there had been skirmishes between NDC and NPP, but when he checked, he realized that it wasn't true.

However, when he got to the Akoram Electoral Area at Mempeasem, he saw people running helter-skelter, from the polling station. The people told him that some men holding knives and talismans, and believed to be NPP members, had come to harass them.