
A police officer has been captured on video assaulting a journalist during the ongoing rerun of parliamentary elections at the Church of Pentecost, North Odorkor 4 Polling Station, in the Tswuim Electoral Area of the Ablekuma North constituency.
In the now-viral video, the journalist, identified as Banahene Agyeku of GHOne TV, is seen surrounded by five police officers in what appears to be a heated exchange. Amid the confrontation, one of the officers, whose identity is yet to be made public, is seen dishing out ‘dirty slaps’ to the journalist.
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Recounting his side of the incident, Banahene explained that he was monitoring the election when he was ordered to leave the area. He stated that he resisted the instruction, clarifying to the officers that he was a journalist on duty and merely observing the electoral process.
He added that the officer assaulted him without provocation:
I was sitting near a woman roasting corn and observing the election when they approached me and told me to move. I responded that I was a media person monitoring the election. During the conversation, he slapped me. I did nothing wrong. He will hear from me.
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The incident has triggered widespread public outrage, with many calling for the immediate removal of the officer involved and a full investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile, voting continues in 19 polling stations across the constituency as the Electoral Commission (EC) attempts to bring finality to the months-long stalemate over the parliamentary seat, an impasse that has persisted for over seven months.
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The rerun election is shaping up to be a fierce contest between Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Ewurabena Aubynn of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
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