A BBC reporter in Accra, Thomas Naadi, confirmed that he and his cameraman were arrested by police during day 1 of the OccupyJulorbiHouse demo.
“I was among some members of the media who were also detained, but we were later released at the central police station,” he wrote in a report to the Africa LIVE page on Friday.
Naadi reiterated that he was among the journalists who were detained by police in a later report for Focus on Africa TV.
He stated once more that 49 people were wrongfully detained on September 21; all of them were later released on bail, and he continued, “Some journalists were also detained. I was among those who were arrested.”
On the day that Naadi was allegedly arrested, the Ghana Police Service issued a lengthy statement regarding the reports.
The service’s head of public affairs issued a statement claiming that the rumours were untrue.
“The attention of the police has been drawn to an erroneous report by a section of the media that a BBC reporter and his camera have been arrested.
“The police would like to put on record that the report is false and should be disregarded,” the statement said.
The police have clarified that among the individuals who were apprehended, two were identified as journalists and were promptly released.
The Police Service has reiterated its dedication to maintaining security, enforcing the law, and preserving order while carrying out its responsibilities.
Consequently, the public is encouraged to exercise caution when disseminating unverified or inaccurate information.
“The facts are that in dispersing the illegal demonstrators, a group of them were picked up and sent to the police station. During their screening process, two people who identified themselves as journalists were immediately allowed to go.
“While we assure the public of our commitment to work with all stakeholders in our quest to ensure security law and order, we want to urge all other stakeholders to be circumspect in the discharge of their responsibilities since they have implications on the image and reputation of other stakeholders,” the statement by the police added.