The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has strongly criticised the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) for what he described as a weak and inadequate response to the assault of JoyNews journalist Carlos Calony by military personnel.
His comments follow a statement issued by the GAF announcing the commencement of investigations into the incident, which occurred on July 30 during a demolition exercise at a warehouse reportedly owned by McDan Company Limited, founded by businessman Daniel McKorley.
Speaking in an interview with Joy FM on Thursday, July 31, Mr. Braimah dismissed the GAF’s response as insufficient, saying the military must go beyond issuing statements and take swift disciplinary action against the officers involved.
“We can only look forward to realistic action being taken rather than this peripheral statement that we are investigating. What exactly are they investigating?” he asked.
Mr. Braimah described the assault as “deeply embarrassing” and “completely untenable,” especially given the widely circulated video evidence of the incident. He questioned why the GAF would suggest it does not know the officers involved.
“I’ve had very respectable generals reach out to say they themselves are quite disappointed with the statement issued yesterday by the military,” he said. “What happened didn’t happen in secret. We are not speculating. It is not an allegation—this happened in the open. Videos have been seen.”
He warned that failure to act decisively would only encourage further misconduct within the ranks.
“Sometimes, yes, you don’t want to take actions that will demoralise the military, but if you also allow indiscipline to fester, you’ll only be promoting it,” he added.
Mr. Braimah also compared the GAF’s inaction to a recent case involving the Ghana Police Service in which an officer at Ablekuma North was swiftly interdicted for misconduct, noting that such immediate responses restore public confidence in security institutions.
The JoyNews journalist, Carlos Calony, was assaulted by soldiers while covering the aftermath of the demolition exercise, during which an eyewitness was also attacked. The site has since been declared a “National Security Zone.”
His cameraman and an eyewitness were also attacked by the soldiers. The soldiers reportedly destroyed the team’s equipment, leaving the camera badly damaged and the victims with visible injuries.
Mr. Calony was forcibly taken away in a military vehicle to “Blue Gate,” a facility operated by National Security. His phones were seized, and he was subjected to intense interrogation.
He was released only after the intervention of the Minister for the Interior. The government has since condemned the actions of the soldiers, describing the assault as unacceptable.
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