Find Ahmed’s killers - President Akufo-Addo

President Nana Akufo-Addo leads a long list of tributes condemning the gruesome murder of Ahmed Hussein-Suale, an associate of investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

The president, civil society groups and individual Ghanaians extended condolences to the family of the deceased and charged the police to bring to book as soon as possible the perpetrators of this heinous crime.

President Akufo-Addo’s message

“I have learnt with sadness of the killing of Ahmed Hussein-Suale, an associate of investigative journalist Anas.

“I condemn the act unreservedly and extend my condolences to his family.

“I expect the police to bring to book as soon as possible the perpetrators of this heinous crime. Once again, my heartfelt condolences,” President Akufo-Addo stated.

Tiger Eye PI mourn Hussein-Suale

Investigators with private investigative firm Tiger Eye PI say they are overwhelmed with grief following the shocking killing of a member of their team, Ahmed.

Ahmed, who is investigative journalist Anas’ key partner, was shot by unknown assailants in Madina, a suburb of Accra, on Wednesday while he was driving home.

He was shot twice in the chest and once in the neck. Police reports say he died on the spot.

The team at Tiger Eye PI, in a statement, said it commiserates with Ahmed’s family on the painful loss and prays for Allah to give them strength to bear the grief.

They added in the statement, however, that they are “terribly devastated by the dastardly act, but remain unshaken in our resolve to pursue nation-wreckers and make corruption a high-risk activity in the country”.

”We call on the security agencies to unmask the elements behind this assassination and bring them to book,” the statement added.

Govt condemns gruesome murder of Ahmed

Similarly, government has condemned the gruesome murder of Ahmed.

At a press briefing in Accra, Minister for Information Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah said government condemns the heinous and barbaric act.

“We are aware the police have begun investigations into the incident. We, however, urge the security agency to quicken their investigations and bring the perpetrators to book. Violence against media practitioners and journalists must not be tolerated,” he added.

Nkrumah, on behalf of government, expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family of the victim, the organisation he worked for and the media fraternity in general.

Ahmed is one of the Tiger Eye PI undercover investigators whose photographs were circulated on Net2 TV by the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, in his crusade to also expose what he claimed were corrupt practices by Anas.

While displaying the photographs, the MP called on members of the public to beat up Ahmed, and added that he will bear any financial cost that will result from it.

He added that Ahmed was wicked and must be beaten if he visited the premises of his company.

Although no links have been drawn between the MP’s call to violence and the Wednesday evening murder, some Ghanaians have taken to social media to heavily criticise the controversial MP.

I didn’t kill Ahmed, he’s irrelevant to my life – Kennedy Agyapong

In responses to the criticism, Agyapong distanced himself from the death of Ahmed.

According to him, he cannot fathom why he would engineer the killing of a person who is irrelevant in his life.

The MP said he is well placed and will gain nothing should he take away the life of the investigator.

“The guy has not offended me in any way. When I was premiering ‘Who watches the watchman’, somebody told me I knew the guy because I had once given him money for his school fees, so I told my staff not to allow him into my building again because he is a bad boy and that If he comes around, they should beat him up because he will come and secretly set cameras in the building.

“This is what I said. This boy is not relevant to my life. This boy is irrelevant to my life. Why would I be stupid and order people to kill him looking at how far God has brought me? He has not offended me in anyway. They should look for those who may be behind this heinous act. This is just cheap propaganda.

“I don’t live a low life. I am focused in everything that I do, that is why I am very loud when I am arguing. I don’t compromise on anything. Ahmed has not done anything to me because I am not part of the people he set up,” he added.

Responding to concerns that he needs to be invited by the police on circumstances that might have led to the killing of the Tiger Eye member, the legislator expressed his preparedness to meet with the police because he has caused no harm.

“I hear people want the police to question me. Why should the police invite and question me? I am not afraid of anyone. The police should come; I will replay the video to them. I don’t have time for Ahmed at all. They are just dodging the issue.

“I don’t plot evil because the evil that men do lives after them. Anas and his team know the wicked things they have done and the enemies they have created for themselves and I am certainly not one. For me, I just wanted to expose Anas for people to know that he is equally corrupt, and that is exactly what I did.

“He stepped on the toes of many people. So if thorough investigations are not done and they rather accuse me of killing the gentleman, then they are dodging. The very people who committed the crime will go scot free,” he stressed.

But lawyer for Anas, Kissi Agyebeng has called for Agyapong to be questioned following the murder of Ahmed, a key partner of the journalist.

Agyebeng said that the Assin Central parliamentarian’s incitement of the public against Ahmed cannot be ignored when investigations are open into the murder.

“He invited the world to beat him up and said he will pay for it and now he [Ahmed] has been killed…he has questions to answer.”

Agyebeng said due to strategic reasons, he cannot disclose the next course of action for Anas and his Tiger Eye PI team, except that they are surely beefing up security.

He added that the family of Ahmed have been informed about his passing.

GJA, NMC demand justice for Ahmed

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the National Media Commission have called for a thorough and proper investigation into the shooting and killing of Ahmed.

The groups called on the Police Service to, as a matter of priority and urgency, launch a full-scale investigation into the killing of Ahmed and ensure the killers face the full rigours of the law.

They also called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to take personal interest in seeing to the bottom of the matter until justice is served, and Members of Parliament to take the necessary actions to instil a sense of safety in the media and among the populace.

Mr Roland Affail Monney, President of the GJA, at a news conference held in Accra, said: “The unknown assailants did not take anything away from Ahmed except his life, delivering two bullets into his chest and one in his neck at close range.”

He said this was not the first time journalists had been murdered in cold blood in recent memory, mentioning the murder of the former chairman of the Ashanti Regional branch of the GJA, Samuel Ennin, who was similarly shot and killed in February 2007.

Others were King George Abanga, the Peace FM correspondent at Goaso on September 16, 2016, and broadcast journalist Portia Ama Agyeiwaa of a local radio station in Bekwai, who was stabbed to death in April 2018.

“These killings, in addition to rampant assault against journalists in recent times, send a worrying signal that the media are under serious attack in an era when civility and rule of law are expected to reign the thoughts and actions of our society,” he said.

Mr Affail Monney urged journalists not to be intimidated by the killings or any other circumstances that could hinder the discharge of their constitutional mandate of serving the interest of the public.

Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo, Chairman of the National Media Commission, said the crime against the investigative journalist was a double jeopardy as his freedom was curtailed and his freedom of expression was undermined.

He called on journalists to join hands in making the world know that they would resist anything of that nature because human lives are precious.

Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere, he said, and urged journalists to reflect objectively on every situation they encountered in the execution of their duties.

Mr Boadu-Ayeboafo asked the Police Service to invite and deal with anyone they suspect to be associated with the crime, including the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Mr Kennedy Agyapong, who publicly urged the public to assault the late Ahmed whenever they came across him.

He said he believed no one could applaud what had happened, whether from the political or social perspective, adding that “we all need to challenge the abominable action that has taken place”.

Mr Boadu-Ayeboafo asked the Police Service to enlighten the citizenry on the need to note the registration numbers, as well as other features, of vehicles and suspected criminals whenever they witnessed a crime or an accident.

“It is bad if we can’t describe what happened because how the police are able to apprehend criminals is not magic, but because some members of the public collaborated to support the security apparatus.”

Mr Sammy Darko, a member of the legal team of the Tiger Eye PI team, called on all journalists and the public to support in the fight against criminality in the country, saying, “Today, it is a member of the Tiger Eye team; tomorrow, it could be you.”

The murder had rather strengthened the team to undertake more serious investigations to promote national development, he said.

Ahmed was a Muslim and would be given a befitting burial as the religion demands, he noted.

MFWA condemns the killing

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has learnt with shock, the killing of Ahmed by unknown assailants.

“The MFWA unreservedly condemns the killing and calls on the police to promptly and thoroughly investigate the incident to bring the perpetrators to book,” it added.