Thugs raid Radio Ada, one hospitalised
Unknown vandals on January 13, raided Radio Ada, a community radio station in the Greater Accra Region. A radio presenter was injured in the attack and is currently receiving medical treatment in hospital.
The thug, about 10, reportedly stormed the station around enquiring about Noah Dameh, an employee of the station but met his absence. They proceeded to the station’s properties including broadcasting equipment.
According to an eyewitness, the vandals who were all masked-up broke into the studio and immediately pounced on a presenter [name withheld] who was on-air at the time and beat him up mercilessly before finally switching the station off air.
The witness added that the thug further held some staff hostage for sometime while they subjected others to severe beetings.
“At around 11:30 am, a thug numbering about 8 to 10 stormed the radio station with one wielding a pistol. As soon as they entered, they demanded to see any management person present.They got furious after we told them there were no management persons present. So they forcefully broke into the ON-AIR studio, and the Recording Studio vandalised equipments and assaulted staff including a presenter who was running a live show.”
Confirming the incident in an exclusive interview with MX24NEWS, a management member in charge of External Communications at the station who also witnessed the attack, Julius Odoi Amesimeku said the thugs after physically assaulting staff and vandalising properties, warned them to desist from publishing anything that has to do with Electrochem Ghana Limited; a salt mining company in the area.
“After vandalising the station’s properties and physically assaulting staff, they warned that we should not report anything on Songhor or Eletrochem again. We should not even mention the name of McDan ever again in any of our reports otherwise they would shoot us.”
Management of the station has however issued a statement indicating that the incident has since been reported to the Ghana Police Service for further investigation and that, “the presenter who was beaten up has since been sent to the Ada East District Hospital for treatment.”
The Press Statement further assured its listeners of its unshaken resolve to continue with work in due course.
“Our listening community may be assured that Radio Ada will thereafter continue to broadcast and that its commitment to inform and to give voice to the Dangme community, particularly those least voiced, remains unchanged.”
Below is the full statement issued by Radio Ada 93.3 FM on the violet attack:
STATEMENT ON THE VIOLENT ATTACK ON RADIO ADA ON 13 JANUARY 2022
1. The Management of Radio Ada 93.3 fm wishes to inform its esteemed listening community that the station was violently attacked by a group of eight men today, Thursday, 13th January 2022 at about 11:30 a.m.
2. The attackers, one of whom was armed with a pistol, invaded the on-air studio by forcibly destroying its door open. They beat up the presenter and vandalised the on-air studio equipment, leading to the temporary shut-down of Radio Ada.
3. Two Radio Ada staff together with visitors to the station were held hostage during the attack.
4. The attackers openly declared that they had come to vandalise the station because of its Manor Munyu and other programmes discussing the recent developments in the Songor. They threatened to inflict further havoc should the station continue with programmes on the Songor.
5. The matter has been reported to the Big Ada police who came to take inventory of the damaged equipment.
6. The presenter who was beaten up has since been sent to the Ada East District Hospital for treatment.
7. The attack has been reported to the National Media Commission (NMC).
8. This announcement is being made to ensure that the facts of the attack are reported accurately and timeously. This announcement, interspersed with music, will be the only broadcast that Radio Ada will be making today.
9. The station will shut down for a few days from tomorrow to enable it to review and repair the extent of the damage caused.
10. Our listening community may be assured that Radio Ada will thereafter continue to broadcast and that its commitment to inform and to give voice to the Dangme community, particularly those least voiced, remains unchanged.
