The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has called on the Police to expedite action on the murder case of Ahmed Suale, an undercover Reporter who was shot dead on January 16, 2019, by unidentified assailants.
A statement signed by Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, President of GJA, said the Association was saddened by the deafening silence and lack of action by the state authorities responsible for law enforcement to bring the perpetrators of Ahmed Hussein Suale’s murder to book.
It said the media fraternity and human rights activists were bitterly worried that four years after the “assailants dastardly snatched the budding life of Ahmed”, the law enforcement agencies were yet to officially inform the nation and the family of their investigations.
The statement said Monday, January 16, 2023, marked exactly four years since the Investigative Journalist was murdered in cold blood, yet the perpetrators remained an “enigma and were walking free”.
It said in spite of the incessant calls by the GJA, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) among others, for the killers to be arrested and prosecuted, no concrete progress had been made by the security institutions.
The statement said Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, Minister for Justice and Attorney General, at a forum organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa, expressed worry over the delay in arresting the perpetrators.
It said similarly, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at the Annual GJA Dinner Night on December 21, 2022, commented on the delay in rounding up the perpetrators and assured the GJA that he would ensure that the murderers were brought to book.
The statement said the GJA had in past years engaged the Police Administration and key stakeholders on the murder and received assurances, but it appeared the case was gradually being pushed into the files of “cold” cases, which was unfortunately unacceptable.
It said GJA found the delay in arresting the killers of Ahmed Suale as a blot on the security agencies.
The statement said many practitioners were still haunted by the murder of Ahmed and all journalists who had been attacked in the line of duty.
It said some had been cowed and were no longer daring enough to pursue investigative journalism.
The statement encouraged all investigative journalists to continue to do their work in the interest of the State.
It assured all journalists and the family of Ahmed Suale that the GJA stood with them in the trying moment and would continue to ensure that justice was served in the interest of the family of Ahmed Suale and the nation by pushing for closure of the case.
Ahmed Saule, an undercover Reporter was shot dead on January 16, 2019, by unidentified assailants reportedly on motorbikes while he was driving home from work at Madina, a suburb of Accra.
He was a member of Tiger Eye Private Investigation team and was involved in a corruption investigation led by Ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
The Team uncovered corruption in Ghana’s football in a documentary captioned “Number 12”.