Police must investigate assault on journalists – Law lecturer

A senior lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law School, is calling on the police administration to initiate investigations into the alleged assault on two photo journalists by some military personnel at last month’s Independence Day parade.

One journalist was slapped whilst the other had his private parts electrocuted. But the military exonerated its personnel after a committee it constituted to investigate the matter found no wrong doing on their parts.

Kofi Abotsi said although the military have their own internal disciplinary structures, it is the police and not the military who should investigate the incident.

Speaking on Newsfile, a news analysis programme on Joy FM Saturday 27th April, the Law Lecturer said he had expected the police to initiate investigations into incident.

According to him, the police are responsible for all security and criminal issues in the country and hence make them the bona fide authority for investigations of such nature.

“The military is just like any of us. Even though they (Military) have their internal court Marshall, which the court recognises under certain circumstances, the Police can still commence criminal investigations if the police deem it fit that there have been criminality or an act of criminality committed,” said the lecturer.

In the view of Mr Kofi Abotsi, there appears to have been some assault committed and so the Police must step in.