A CCTV image of the arson attack
Arsonists attacked Class Media Group’s Labone headquarters in Accra with petrol bombs and stones on Thursday dawn around 2 am.
The media company’s CCTV cameras captured four men on motorbikes as the suspects.
They fled the scene right after launching the attack.
They hurled the petrol bombs over the fence wall into the media house, destroying the glass wall and door of the reception.
It is not clear why the suspects attacked the company but CMG has reported the incident to the police for an investigation.
Media houses and journalists have come under all forms of attack in the past few years.
In one instance, an investigative journalist, Mr Ahmed Suale, who worked with Anas Aremeyaa Anas' Tiger Eye P.I., was killed by unknown gunmen.
In other instances, thugs have broken into the studios of radio and TV stations to either manhandle a presenter or interrupt live shows.
Last year, for example, Mr Iddrisu Hardi Pagazaa, a former deputy northern regional communications officer of the main opposition NDC and one other person, were reported to the police for storming into the studios of one of CMG's media houses, Dagbon FM, in the Northern Region, on Wednesday, 3 May 2023, which coincidentally was World Press Freedom Day, to attack and assault a journalist.
The victim, Abubakar Saddique Gariba, hosts an evening political talk show on Dagbon102.5 FM.
The live on-air attack happened between 8:30 pm and 9 pm.
Also, on 10 February 2022, the host of Accra FM’s 'Citizen Show', Kwabena Bobie Ansah, was accosted and arrested by unidentified men who claimed to be security operatives.
The reason for his arrest, right after his night political talk show, was not known.
He was taken to the Nima Police Station and later transferred to the striking force.
His arrest followed that of Captain Smart of Onua TV, who was detained for some utterances he had made on TV as well as Power FM’s Oheneba Boamah Bennie, who served a two-week jail term and got fined for GHS3,000 for contempt of court, in a case in which he allegedly made false claims against President Akufo-Addo and the justices of the Supreme Court about the 2020 election petition.
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