MP calls for resignation of National Security Minister over arrest of journos

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa North Constituency in the Upper East Region and a former Deputy Minister of Defence, Mr James Agalga, has called for the immediate resignation of the National Security Minister, Mr Albert Kan Dapaah, over an alleged abduction and maltreatment of some journalists of ModernGhana, an online news portal.

Two staff of ModernGhana, Deputy Editor, Mr Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri and Mr Emmanuel Yeboah Britwum, a reporter, were picked by National Security operatives on Thursday, June 27, 2019.

The arrest, according to the two journalists were in connection with some articles they published which linked the National Security Minister, Mr Kan Dapaah.

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Mr Agalga, who is also a Ranking Member for the Select Committee on Defence and Interior, said it was unacceptable for the minister to dispatch operatives from his outfit to ransack and arrest the journalists, as well as subjecting them to torture.

According to him, if the minister was unaware of those who carried out the unlawful arrest, he ought to have found out about them by now and sanctioned them accordingly.

Mr Agalga who was speaking to some journalists at Parliament on Tuesday was of the view that the resignation of the minister would send a strong signal that “you cannot abuse power and get away with it no matter what your status is in society.”

In a radio interview on Accra based Citi FM on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, Mr Ajafor said he was subjected to all manner of abuse by those who came to pick him and his colleague.

According to him, he was blindfolded from his office to the building where he was subjected to severe beatings, including the use of electric shocker to compel him to admit to some accusations which the National Security operatives proffered against him.

According to Mr Ajafor, the operatives from the National Security accused him of cybercrimes and other related offenses.

Meanwhile, the Media Foundation for West Africa, as well as other media-related organisations, have condemned the act of the national Security operatives over the arrest of the ModernGhana journalists.