When Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama assumed office in January 2025, he promised to usher in "an era of true media freedom," raising hopes among journalists that attacks on the press would be treated seriously. However, during Mahama's tenure, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has documented eight separate incidents in which at least 17 journalists were attacked, with perpetrators enjoying near-complete impunity. Police, firefighters, and soldiers attacked eight of the journalists, while illegal miners and unidentified individuals attacked nine others.
Journalists Demand Justice
"We need justice," said reporter Samuel Addo, who was attacked by firefighters on January 5 while filming the aftermath of a market fire. "We are not safe." CPJ interviewed journalists involved in each incident to assess the justice they received. Almost all called for law enforcement to swiftly arrest and prosecute those responsible. Many also expressed a desire for authorities to communicate publicly about steps toward accountability. Yet, the lack of action has left them feeling unsafe and demotivated.
Mahama's Stance on Media Freedom
"I am a journalist by training. And so, there's no way, you know, we'll countenance the continued assault on journalists," Mahama told Ghana Broadcasting Corporation viewers during a visit in January 2026. "We need a reorientation of many of our security personnel to understand that just as they are doing their job of providing peace and safety, journalists are also doing their job of informing the people … Occasionally these things will come up. But when they come, they must be dealt with as firmly as possible." When asked about Addo's case, Mahama said he believed those involved had been identified and "interdicted." However, CPJ and Addo found no evidence of this.
Pattern of Impunity
On June 3, Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George reiterated Mahama's commitment to media freedom, saying the president "views the press as the heart of the nation's democracy." However, impunity for attacks on the press under Mahama extends a broader pattern of abuse, including the unresolved 2019 murder of investigative reporter Ahmed Divela. "Nothing changed when President Mahama took over," said Charles Mensah, a TV producer attacked while covering elections in Ghana's southern Ashanti region in 2025.
In each case, journalists told CPJ they carried formal press identification, such as "Press" jackets and ID cards, or explicitly identified themselves as journalists. "They detained me after they knew that I was a journalist. So as a journalist I feel like I am not safe," said Solomon Kanaluwe, a reporter beaten by soldiers in January. "It has demotivated me from going out there to the fronts and risking my life."
Compensation for Damaged Equipment
After each attack, journalists said they reported the incidents to police. The only incident resulting in any justice was a court order requiring illegal miners to compensate a journalist for damaged equipment. Jacob Adu-Baah, Akwasi Annim, and Henry Emil confirmed the prosecution of illegal miners who attacked them in 2025. Annim received compensation for his damaged equipment, as did the state. The journalists expressed disappointment that the court did not address the illegality of mining they had been reporting on. Adu-Baah said he had to take a month's leave "to get a mental check before returning to work."
Police also raised false hopes for reporter Kwabena Banahene. Days after police attacked Banahene while he was covering local elections in 2025, the online outlet 3News reported that a police officer was in detention for assault. Banahene told CPJ that a police officer showed him a written directive from Ghana's attorney general indicating his attacker would be prosecuted. But he has received no further news. "I don't know whether the matter is going on or not," Banahene said.
Lack of Follow-Up
In all other cases, journalists received no updates from authorities. Some felt effective investigations were unlikely when soldiers were the perpetrators. "The armed forces said they are investigating. Nobody has contacted me," said Kanaluwe. "Even the police. When we reported, they followed me to where it happened and said they would get back to me. Since then, I have not received any calls or messages from them."
Military officers also beat journalists Tahiru Ibrahim and Dokurugu Alhassan as they filmed a bus on fire. The journalists said police told them they could not intervene in actions by the military. Alhassan said he had received no follow-up. "It has affected me very negatively," Alhassan told CPJ, describing his fear of reporting from scenes where security forces are present. "Sometimes there will be news in town, and when you see the people involved, you can't go there … when you go, they will beat you up again."
Ghana Armed Forces' acting director-general of public relations, Veronica Arhin, asked CPJ to send a written request for comment to Chief of Defence Staff William Agyapong. CPJ's email to the address listed on the Ghana Armed Forces website received no reply. CPJ's calls and text messages to police director of public affairs Grace Ansah-Akrofi requesting comment received no response.
Detailed Cases of Attacked Journalists
February 21, 2025: Illegal Miners Attack
On February 21, 2025, police escorted ABC News reporter Jacob Adu-Baah, Channel One TV and Citi FM correspondent Akwasi Agyei Annim, and Angel TV reporter Henry Fynn Emil into a forest in Adomanya, Western Region, where they were attacked by suspected illegal miners. The attackers twisted Annim's arm and damaged his phone and camera. The three had been reporting on illegal gold mining. On March 5, 2025, a judge ordered the miners to pay 37,000 cedis (US$2,385) to replace Annim's damaged items, which he received.
February 11, 2025: Election Coverage Assault
On February 11, 2025, five journalists—GhanaWeb correspondent Gideon Nana Peprah, Angel Broadcasting Network reporter Gabriel Kwasi Oppong, Lawson TV producer Charles Awuah Mensah, Oyerepa Radio and TV reporter Kofi Adede, and Oseikrom Dawuro newspaper editor Henry Atta Kotei—were hit and slapped by at least 14 unidentified men while covering regional elections in the Ashanti region. Peprah and Mensah told CPJ they had received no updates about the police investigation and blamed the silence on the influence of politicians, whose associates they believe orchestrated the assault. "We journalists are not safe, and we must not rely solely on the police for our protection during our work," Mensah said. CPJ's calls and text messages to Ashanti regional minister Frank Amoakohene on April 20 received no reply.
February 12, 2025: Military Attack
On February 12, 2025, Zaa Multimedia reporter Tahiru Apiliye Ibrahim and Asaase Radio correspondent Dokurugu Alhassan were beaten by six military officers after they filmed a bus on fire in the Mamprusi community. When they reported the incident, police said they were unable to act against military actions. Alhassan told CPJ the situation deepened his concern for safety at work.
July 11, 2025: Police and Unidentified Attackers
On July 11, 2025, a police officer slapped GHOne TV reporter Kwabena Agyekum Banahene when a polling station for a local election on the outskirts of Accra was overrun by a group of men who attacked a candidate. Banahene said authorities failed to hold the officer accountable. ATV Ghana reporter Vida Wiafe was also hit with pepper spray deployed by police at the same polling station. Joy News reporter Sally Martey was struck and shoved by a partially masked man. Martey said authorities failed to hold the attacker accountable.
July 30, 2025: Military Threat
On July 30, 2025, Joy News anchor and producer Carlos Lorlornyo Atsu Calony was attacked and Joy News camera operator Jonas Zodzi Voergborlo was threatened by at least seven military officers as they covered the demolition of a building in Accra. Calony told CPJ that authorities took their statements but had not contacted them since. "We are not safe," Calony said. "If you allow yourself to be a victim of anything of this sort, no one will come to your aid."
January 5, 2026: Firefighter Assault
On January 5, 2026, about 10 firefighters punched and hit Class Media Group producer Samuel Addo to stop him filming the firefighters' assault on members of the public after a market fire. Addo said the firefighters seized his phone, which was returned after intervention by a local lawmaker, and he lost 10,000 cedis (US$901) during the five-minute assault in Kasoa, about 30 kilometers west of Accra. Videos shared online showed firefighters clashing with the public and attacking Addo. The fire service said in a statement that there had been an "altercation between firefighters and a suspected thief" and "the alleged assault of a journalist is under police investigation." Mahama said in a statement that Addo's assailants were being investigated. Addo told CPJ that neither police nor any other authorities had contacted him after an initial interview.
January 26, 2026: Military Flogging
On January 26, 2026, two military officers in Walewale, a community in Ghana's north-east region, flogged Solomon Kwame Kanaluwe and factory-reset his phone after Kanawule introduced himself as a journalist, according to media reports and Kanawule who spoke with CPJ.
