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OccupyJulorbiHouse demo: BBC Journalist, Cameraman released
A BBC reporter in Ghana, Thomas Naadi, and his Cameraman who were earlier picked up by the Police have been released.
The Journalists were picked up while they were covering a demonstration organized by Democracy Hub on Thursday.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Two BBC reporters were arrested in Ghana whilst covering demonstrations at Jubilee House. Both reporters were briefly detained and have since been released.”
In a statement, the police explained that “in dispersing the illegal demonstrators, a group of them were picked up and sent to the police station. During their screening process, two persons identified themselves as journalists and 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 the other stakeholders to be circumspect in the discharge of their responsibilities since they have implications for the image and reputation of other stakeholders.”
The protest was intended to commence at the 37 Hospital area of Accra and culminate at Ghana’s presidency, the Jubilee House.
According to the police, court notices were served to the protesters, advising them to cancel their plans. However, the demonstrators dispute this claim, asserting that they were not served any such notice, leading them to proceed with their protest.
Law enforcement officers apprehended 49 protesters and some journalists and transported them to the Accra regional police headquarters.
Subsequently, after screening and discussions, the journalists who were among the detained protesters, including BBC’s Thomas Naadi and his colleagues, were released.
At the Accra regional police headquarters, some protesters were arrested at the main entrance while attempting to have some of their colleagues released.
The police issued a press statement earlier in the day, clarifying that they do not take pleasure in preventing any group from demonstrating, emphasizing their history of providing security for demonstrations in the past.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
