Why has the media been quiet about the petrol bomb attack on Class Media Group? - Security expert asks

Anthony Acquaye, a security expert, has questioned why the media has not been outspoken about holding authorities accountable to ensure that the culprits involved in the petrol bomb attack on Class Media Group are brought to book.

According to him, it does not augur well for the media fraternity to be silent on such a pressing issue.

He added that lack of attention to deal with this issue will lead to similar attacks in the near future.

“It baffles me as an expert, how this individual had the idea to produce a petrol bomb, popularly known as poor man's grenade, even though it is not complicated to produce as compared to other improvised explosive weapons, and then again, their intent to launch on a media house.

“For the avoidance of possible repetition of this criminal act, media houses must be very worried of this unacceptable phenomenon and intensify its campaign against such reckless act to demonstrate to law enforcement how unhappy they are, and their quest to go all out with their mother association to force the law enforcement agencies to take the needed action to arrest the perpetrators of the crime,” he wrote in a write-up sighted by GhanaWeb.

The security expert also called on the Ghana Police Service to do everything possible to arrest the culprits and deal with them drastically to serve as a deterrent to others.

“I strongly entreat the Ghana Police Service to commence an immediate and extensive investigation and Forensic test using the bottle identified to help arrest such attackers and stop their next plan of attack on any media station,” he added.

Background

Arsonists attacked Class Media Group’s Labone headquarters in Accra with petrol bombs and stones on the morning of April 25, 2024 around 2 am.

The media company’s CCTV cameras captured four men on motorbikes as the suspects.

They fled the scene right after launching the attack.

They hurled the petrol bombs over the fence wall into the media house, destroying the glass wall and door of the reception.

It is not clear why the suspects attacked the company, but CMG has reported the incident to the police for an investigation.

Media houses and journalists have come under all forms of attack in the past few years.

In one instance, an investigative journalist, Mr. Ahmed Suale, who worked with Anas Aremeyaa Anas' Tiger Eye P.I., was killed by unknown gunmen.

In other instances, thugs have broken into the studios of radio and TV stations to either manhandle a presenter or interrupt live shows.

Read the full statement below

Anthony Acquaye writes.

April 28, 2024.

THE MEDIA FRATERNITY NEEDS TO BE WORRIED ABOUT THE RECENT PETROL BOMB ATTACK ON CLASS MEDIA GROUP

It has been a couple of days when a vedio want viral on a petrol bomb attack on Class Media Group's Labone Headquarters in Accra by four arsonists who tactically want into the operation with two motorbikes as captured by the close circuit television ( CCTV camera) surveillance at the premises of the company, and till now the media fraternity seem to be quite about this unfortunate and deadly attack on their own sister company in the country.

Whichever way one views the attack, it must be established clearly that this reckless action by this individual is dangerous and criminal that, in many other jurisdictions, such suspects would have been clarified as terrorist, who do not think of the severe impacts of their reckless action which would have been on the company and its staff, if the bomb had caught up with any other explosive substance in the premise of the company. Obviously, the whole company building, including the working staff in the building at that particular time, would have gone up in flames and brunt down.

As a peace loving country, we should not expect that the personal safety of our media professionals should be compromised when they are within the confines of their physical place of work. It is imperative to remember that personnels in the media are fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters.

Inasmuch as it is difficult to establish the motive of these attackers, research as shown that one key motive of these arsonists is to rebel for their own social political reasons. However, it baffles me as an expert, how this individual had the idea to produce a petrol bomb, popular known as poor man's grenade, eventhough, it is not complicated to produce as compare to other improvised explosive weapons, then again, their intent to launch on a media house. For the avoidance of possible repetition of this criminal act, media houses must be very worried of this unacceptable phenomenon and intensify its campaign against such reckless act to demonstrate to law enforcement how unhappy they are, and their quest to go all out with their mother association to forced the law enforcement agencies to act with the needed action to arrest the perpetrators of the crime.

Following the CCTV camera capturing, I strongly entreat the Ghana Police Service to commence an immediate and extensive investigation and Forensic test using the bottle identified to help arrest such attackers and stop them from their next plan of attack on any media station. This phenomenon should also be a wake-up call to all media house with cctv cameras installed to use the proactive monitoring approach to preempt and respond to any attack rather than reactive approach where the incident occurs before action is taken

SB/MA