TV Africa journalist discharged after police assault in Tamale

Correspondent from Northern Region

The Northern Regional correspondent for TV Africa, Mohammed Kamil was on Saturday attacked by armed personnel of the Ghana Police Service in Tamale.

The unfortunate incident occurred when Kamil was covering a clash between some residents of the Tamale suburb of Changli and Police officers.

Narrating the story to reporters, Kamil said that he received information about chaos in the area and mobilized tools to discharge his duties as a journalist.

“In the morning, we heard of some skirmishes at Changli and as journalists, we had to go in and find out what was going on in the area and when we went, we saw some vehicles smashed, the windscreen was smashed and some of the residents' doors been destroyed beyond recognition." Mr. Kamil narrated.

“So we decided to find out who the perpetrator were and why they did that. Then we were told it was police officers who came earlier in that morning, around 3 am and carry out that unfortunate act”.

He further recounted that, “according to the residents, a certain lady in the community was a suspect of a crime and the police officers came earlier to arrest her, but came and met her praying and they arrested her whiles she was on the act.

This he said, didn't go down well with the residents who attacked the police officers and manhandled them. The police officers went back to the office and later came and carry out that action. “Properties were vandalized, some were brutally assaulted by the police" Mr. Kamil's own witness.

“Whiles we were there, we saw a police car, moves in a very speedy way, came and stopped, police officers started jumping out of the car and started shooting sporadically, I didn't want to run because you can't run more than a bullet, so I took cover, just where we were doing the interview, I laid down, so in the process of lying down I realized a pain on my head, so I used my hand to cover and then realized that blood was gushing out." Mr. Kamil narrated.

In his account, further narrated that, after drawing the police officers attention to the fact that he was a pressman and had been hurt, they decided to take him to the Tamale Teaching Hospital which was not far from the area.

And After medical examination, “the doctors said it did not get to the skull and that, it is actually within the first two layers but is unable to established whether it was a gunshot or cartridge wound" He said.

Meanwhile, Mr.Mohammed Kamil Baba has since been examined and discharged from the hospital.

He disclosed that the regional chapter of the Ghana Journalist Association have lodged a complaint for investigation to commence.