Tongu chiefs, residents disown Radio Tongu director for promoting secessionist agenda

Concerned Citizens of Tongu (CCT) has distanced itself from the director of Radio Tongu, Mr Bestway Kofi Zottor, following his arrest by personnel of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI), police and military.

The group described Mr Zottor as an intruder, who has been operating the community radio station illegally for his personal gains.

Mr Zottor was arrested for allegedly promoting the agenda of secessionist group Homeland Study Group Foundation which declared independence for the Volta Region as a separate nation called Western Togoland.

The group said in a statement: “CCT, on its own behalf and on behalf of the chiefs and people of Tongu community, wish to distance Radio Tongu, 92.1 FM and Tongu Multimedia Centre from the unethical and reckless activities and venomous content [uttered] on the airwaves by Mr Bestway Kofi Zottor, a self-acclaimed founder and Director of Radio Tongu, and all his alliances”.

Read CCT’s full statement:

CONCERNED CITIZENS OF TONGU (CCT)

PRESS STATEMENT ON THE STATUS OF RADIO TONGU 92.1 FM

We, CCT have received the news of the arrest of Mr Bestway Kofi Zottor for his alleged roles in promoting the agenda of the Homeland Study Group Foundation to separate the Volta Region and parts of the Northern Region from Ghana to form a state, with shock.

By this press statement, CCT, on its own behalf and on behalf of the chiefs and people of Tongu community, wish to distance Radio Tongu, 92.1 FM and Tongu Multimedia Centre from the unethical and reckless activities and venomous contents [uttered] on the airwaves by Mr Bestway Kofi Zottor, a self-acclaimed Founder and Director of Radio Tongu, and all his alliances.

Radio Tongu, a community radio station, is a broadcasting organisation established for and by the people of Tongu to provide communication support for the purpose of social, economic and cultural development of a community within the Tongu geographical location and owned and operated by the community on a non-profit basis.

Radio Tongu is a type of radio service that caters for the interests of Tongu people, broadcasting materials that are popular to a local audience but are overlooked by more powerful broadcast groups. The radio project also had an ICT component to provide community internet service and computer training centre.

Radio Tongu is fully registered with the National Communication Authority with authorisation to operate Radio Tongu on a non-profit basis with a frequency registration number 92.1 FM. Radio Tongu is also a registered member of the Ghana Community Radio Network (GCRN) and obliged by national community radio regulations.

We wish to emphasise that TOYACE, TMCN, and Mr Bestway Zottor are intruders, who illegally used the radio for their personal interests and gains and should not be recognised as owners and operators of the radio station any longer.

We wish to advise all staff of Radio Tongu to distance the radio station and themselves from the unethical activities of Mr Bestway Kofi Zottor and his associates to save the station for the people of Tongu.