Enhance Police Protection for Journalists in Bawku- GJA to Police

The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Dwomfour, has called for enhanced security measures for journalists in the Upper East Region.

He has designated the Bawku conflict area as an early warning zone for press safety, requiring heightened vigilance, proactive security deployment and continuous engagement with media practitioners on the ground.

“The GJA will not accept a reactive approach where action is only taken after harm has been done,” he said at a presser on January 28, 2026.

He reported that journalists reporting on the conflict endure death threats, incitement to violence and imminent attacks.

The Association considers these ‘threats reckless, criminal and deeply dangerous, not only to the lives of journalists but also to public order and national security,’ creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation that could easily escalate into mob violence if not urgently addressed.

The GJA further narrated how a professional journalistic engagement was maliciously distorted and weaponised by faceless and pseudonymous actors to incite hostility and issue explicit death threats against him and other journalists.

“Similar threats have previously been directed at other media practitioners covering the Bawku conflict, pointing to a disturbing and recurring pattern of intimidation aimed at silencing the media.”

The persistence of these threats suggests that existing security measures are insufficient.

“The GJA therefore calls for sustained police protection for affected journalists, expedited investigations into all reported threats, and the identification, arrest and prosecution of all individuals and networks involved in issuing threats or inciting violence against journalists.”

Story by Hajara Fuseini

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