The Tamale District Court fined the attackers of the radio broadcaster Gh3,600
The Tamale Magistrate's Court has charged former NDC Northern Deputy Communications Officer Iddrisu Hardi Pagazaa and his accomplice Mumuni Osman GHC3600, for assaulting a radio broadcaster from Dagbon FM, based in Tamale, Sadiq Gariba.
They appeared in court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to the four charges; conspiracy to commit a crime, namelyassault, illegal entry and death threats. Prosecutors later dropped a fourth count of making death threats. Defense lawyer Halid Rauf asked for a non-custodial sentence. The court, presided over by Honor Amadu Issifu, fined the defendants 300 each. In terms of money, GHC3600 each or failing that, serving 18 months in prison. Supporters of the former NDC media officerwere happy after the paymentand their release. "Alhamdulillah, I am a free man now," the imprisoned NDC Communicator said after his release. The victim, Abubakari Sadiq, told GhanaWeb that the court's decision was a victory for democracy and mediafreedom. "I am satisfied with the court's decision, it is a victory for democracy and the freedom of the press," he said. Background On Wednesday May 3, theformer NDC Northern Regional Deputy Communications Officer led an attack on radio operator Abubakari Sadiq from Tamale as the victim was hosting a live broadcast. Sadiq was hosting his Dagbanlipolitical talk show titledPanpantua on Class Media'sDagbon FM when he stormed into the studio and was attacked by his macho colleague while his show was airing on the radio and Facebook. The attack coincided with World Press Freedom Day,when Ghana fell to 62nd place in the press freedom rankings.
GJA praised the court, thepolice
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in the Northern Region hascommended the police and the courts for acting and handlingthe case quickly. He said thatthe conviction of the two peoplewill hit others. "When the case is properly prosecuted, we would like to express our satisfaction with the convictions and sentences handed down to the two men, although we would have preferred a more severe sentence. On the one hand, we are grateful for this because it will act as a deterrent to others," said the GJA Northern Regional President.
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