The acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr James Oppong-Boanuh, has formed a committee to look into the conduct of the police in relation to an alleged assault on Ms Della Russell Ocloo, a reporter with the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL).
Members of the committee set up by the IGP will comprise representatives from the Public Affairs Directorate (PAD) of the Ghana Police Service, the Police Professional Standard Bureau (PPSB) and a representative of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).
Meanwhile, the IGP has also directed the Accra Regional Crime Officer to take over investigations into a complaint of assault lodged by Ms Ocloo over her alleged ordeal.
Ms Ocloo was allegedly manhandled by some security details of the Glorious Wave Church International at Sakumono last Sunday when she went to the church to follow up on a demonstration by a group of women who had advertised a demonstration against Prophet Badu Kobi, founder of the church, for comments he was supposed to have made against women of certain ethnic backgrounds.
The journalist is said to have irked the security men and congregants of the church when she took a video of congregants kneeling and holding the shoes of Prophet Kobi for him to bless them during the service.
Ms Ocloo, after the alleged assault, lodged a complaint against 15 congregants of the church and two policemen who came to the scene and accosted her to the Sakumono Police Station.
According to the journalist, the policemen tried to handcuff her but she volunteered to walk to their car herself.
She also accused the security details and the policemen of injuring her left wrist when they forced her hand in an attempt to claim her phone to delete the video.
According to a statement signed by the Director-General of PAD, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Mr David Eklu, the committee would make recommendations and submit its report within one week.
The statement explained that the committee was formed pursuant to a new framework developed by the Police Administration, the GJA and other stakeholders on how to address attacks on journalists.
In a related development, the Glorious Wave Church International has refuted claims that Ms Ocloo was assaulted on its premises.
Head of Communications for the church, Pastor Wisdom Agodza, said Ms Ocloo after joining the service failed to introduce herself as a journalist in order for the protocol team to offer her the needed courtesies as they did for all journalists who regularly came to the church to cover proceedings.
The statement said the reporter instead chose to clandestinely film church members praying and giving offerings.
“Given the global security issues associated with churches in our world today, church ushers, security and protocols at Glorious Wave were required to call out any suspicious behaviour,” the statement said.
It said one of the official church photographers spotted the reporter and drew her attention to the fact that such filming of the service without approval was unauthorised and not permitted.
However, the statement said Ms Ocloo refused to discontinue filming and as such some church ushers escorted her out of the service while it was still ongoing.
It said once outside the auditorium, the ushers sought to explain to her again that what she was doing was not allowed and that she would have to delete whatever she had filmed or taken as still shots which she again refused to do.
“We again emphasise that at no point in time did any single member of the Glorious Wave Church International ever engage in any physical exchange with Ms Della Russel Ocloo. In effect, she did not follow basic journalistic practice by identifying herself as present for purposes of following up on a story as was claimed,” the statement said.
