The damaged motorbike of the UTV reporter
President of the Students Representative Council (SRC) of the Nyankpala campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Sardick Kilwah, and some unscrupulous students (cadet) have attacked Abdul Washed, the Northern regional correspondent for United Television (UTV).
At the school’s matriculation, the SRC president in the company of his ‘tags’ attacked the regional correspondent of the television station, vandalising his motorbike and seizing his tripod stand.
The confrontation between the SRC president and the UTV reporter saw the student leader hitting the chest of the reporter countless times and threatening to slap him.
The angry SRC president attacked the media practitioner over reports making waves in the media space alleging that the governing body of the students supposedly organized a ‘sex party’ to welcome fresh men and women into the school.
The reportage has since been denied by the SRC president and the school authorities, claiming there is no element of truth in it.
Meanwhile, the Northern regional chapter of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has issued a statement signed by its chairman, Caesar Abagali, condemning the attack.
“Northern regional chapter of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) is shocked about acts of indiscipline exhibited by some students of the UDS Nyankpala campus who breached the law and attacked and manhandled a UTV Northern regional correspondent and his cameraman under the instructions of the SRC president”, the statement pointed out.
The GJA chairman therefore called on the UDS authorities to institute immediate sanctions acceptable to GJA including replacing damaged equipment as well as offering an unqualified apology to the reporter, UTV and the GJA.
The statement further called on the police to immediately arrest the Nyankpala campus SRC president and thoroughly investigate the matter to its logical conclusion.
Media Intelligence Solutions Limited (MIS) also condemned the assault on the journalist by UDS students.
The UTV reporter, Abdul Washed, has since reported the incident to the Lamashegu Police and his statement has been taken by the police awaiting further investigations.
FROM Eric Kombat, Nyankpala