A police officer was seen in a viral video being brutally assaulted by some group of young men in Kasoa in the Central Region of Ghana. The officer in the video appeared helpless and the only thing that saved him from the heavy punches from these young men was his crush helmet. It is unclear what led to the brutal assault on the officer who appeared to be directing traffic. The Police over the week has been in the news for either assaulting journalists who were on their way to perform their duty or being threatened by a Member of Parliament (MP). Three Journalists from the State-owned Ghanaian Times were assaulted by an officer who was riding on an unregistered motorbike hit which hit a vehicle belonging to the Ghanaian Times near the Kinbu traffic light in Accra last Thursday. The Police Officer according to reports had allegedly jumped the red traffic lights and while meandering his way out, his motorbike hit the bumper of a Nissan saloon car belonging to the Ghanaian Times, breaking the mirror and windscreen of the car in the process. A pillion rider who saw what had happened beckoned him to stop but the police officer rode on. The driver of the Ghanaian Times vehicle reports say, had to chase and manage to block the motorbike of the police officer a few meters away from the accident scene, whereupon a certain Malik, one of the journalists got down from the vehicle and started video-recording the incident with his mobile phone. Angered by that action, the police officer attempted to snatch the mobile phone from the reporter and when he did not succeed, he allegedly punched the face of the reporter and blood gushed out from his nostrils. Other police officers and a soldier in uniform allegedly joined in the beating of the reporter, pushing, kicking, slapping and punching him.
Mrs Raissa Sambou Ebu and Salifu Abdul Rahaman, the report noted were physically manhandled and in the process, Mrs Ebu, a nursing mother, collapsed and was rushed to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ridge, Accra, for treatment.
Meanwhile, trending in the news, on the Ghana police and the public is Kennedy Agyepong, the MP for Assin Central, who threatened to cause the dismissal of an officer on duty at the University of Education, Winneba, during a student demonstration last Thursday. The Ghana Police Service, however, has issued a statement signed by the Director-General of the Public Affairs Directorate, cautioning the MP. “The Police Administration, therefore, takes very strong exception to the behaviour of Mr Kennedy Agyapong who is a Member of Parliament and advises him to be mindful of his actions towards Police Officers whilst performing their lawful duties”, the statement indicated.
