Three journalists and a driver, who were arrested and detained by a joint team of armed military and police personnel in Gushegu on Tuesday, were released an hour after the Inspector General of Police (IGP) had intervened.
The IGP, Mr Mohammed Alhassan�s phone call to the Gushegu District Police Command saved the four persons who at the time were being prepared to be transferred to Yendi.
A senior police officer at the Gushegu Police Station, whose identity was not taken, told the journalists on detention: �Throughout my career, I had never received a call from the IGP but he just called me and asked that we should release you quickly and we should not touch you.�
The journalists from TV Africa and Joy News TV and their driver were arrested whiles covering a press conference in Gushegu on Tuesday.
A fourth journalist from the Ghana News Agency managed to escape arrest, but later reported at the Gushegu Police Station.
The press conference was organised by a group of National Democratic Congress (NDC) Gushegu Constituency executives calling itself Concerned Youth of NDC, to register their displeasure at the continued stay in office by the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Alhassan Fuseini.
The military and police personnel numbering about 20 wielding guns and sticks just suddenly emerged at the scene and pounced on the journalists, who were covering the press conference, and whisked them away on a waiting vehicle to the police station.
The journalists were mildly manhandled as well as threatened to surrender their gadgets, which they refused, whiles their driver sustained injuries in the palm.
Mr Antwi Asare, Gushegu District Police Commander, said the journalists were arrested because the press conference they were covering was unlawfully organised. According to him, the journalists should have sought permission from the police before going to cover the event.
He said the police asked the NDC group to call off the press conference because a rival group in support of the DCE also planned a similar event for the same day.
<<Print>>