Some security personnel of ex-President J.A. Kufuor Wednesday clashed with some journalists in front of the ex-President’s house. This was at about 1:30pm, according to The Ghanaian Times.

While the journalists felt they were doing their duty by recording exchanges between Mrs Theresa Kufuor and the head of National Disaster Management Organisation, NADMO, Mr. Kofi Portuphy.

The security men insisted that the building was a private property, and that any recording – either audio or video – must be done with permission of the owner of the property.

The cameras and mobile phones of some of the journalists; Ignatius Annor of Radio Gold, Justice Lee of Financial Intelligence, and Ekow Moses of Ghanaian Voice were destroyed by the security personnel.

The reporters were among a team of journalists who accompanied officials of NADMO, hydro engineers and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly on a tour of flood-prone areas.

The tour covered Asylum Down, Odorkor, Awoshie, Taifa and Airport Residential areas, among others.

At the Airport Residential area, the team led by the National Coordinator of NADMO, Kofi Portuphy, inspected the waterway at Villagio apartment located opposite the ex-president’s house.

There, Mr Portuphy told the team that he had information that part of the “back wall of the ex-president’s house had collapsed following the Tuesday dawn rainfall and therefore decided to assess the extent of damage, saying that the ex-president deserved to be protected, more so as he had travelled outside the country.

On reaching the entrance of Mr Kufuor’s residence, the security details objected to their entry arguing that they were unaware of the visit and that the house was a private place.

Just then, the team was informed that the ex-First Lady, Mrs Theresa Kufuor was around to meet them.

Mrs Kufuor welcomed Mr Portuphy and said she would allow only he (Mr Portuphy) and a few officials into the house.

As the ex-First Lady engaged Mr Portuphy, some of the accompanying journalists took advantage to take photographs while a Radio-Gold reporter attempted running a live report which the ex-president’s security protested against.

The security detail thus took away the reporter’s mobile phone and smashed it on the ground.

This did not go down well with two other reporters (Ekow and Lee) who were also taking some shots and they engaged the security personnel in hot verbal exchanges.

During the ensuing melee, the security personnel seized the cameras of the two reporters and destroyed them by shattering them on the ground.

The security personnel subjected the reporters to severe beatings with one of them booting Ekow in the abdomen.

In the process, the reporters lost the key to the Niva vehicle they were using.

Some officials of the team had to intervene to calm tempers. Briefing the media later, Mr Portuphy described the incident as very unfortunate, explaining that his mission there was part of NADMO’s drive to sensitise people against the rains.

He admitted that part of the ex-President’s back wall had collapsed as a result of the downpour.

Mr Portuphy said he assured Mrs. Kufuor of NADMO’s readiness to assist in anyway.

When contacted, Mr Frank Agyekum, spokesperson for the former president, explained that the security personnel acted on the basis of the fact that the building was a private one and anybody wishing to take pictures of it must first seek permission.

He said he was informed that one of the journalist’s phone was seized but said nobody was manhandled.

Source: The Ghanaian Times