The Achimota Magistrate Court has convicted and fined 16 members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for invading the premises of UTV and obstructing its primetime show. Each of the convicts has been ordered to pay a fine of GH¢200. The charges against them included conspiracy to commit a crime and rioting, to which they pleaded guilty.
The invasion of UTV studios occurred during the live broadcast of the show “United Showbiz” on October 7, 2023. The NPP members claimed that the show had consistently criticized the government unfairly and unprofessionally. They also alleged that a letter from the NPP to the management of UTV regarding reforms to the show was torn apart on-air by A Plus, a political activist and regular panelist on the show.
Also Read: I covered up Blessing CEO’s surgery scars but she has refused to pay me-Tattoo artist cries out
The police subsequently arrested and prosecuted the individuals involved in the invasion. The National Media Commission and the Ghana Journalists Association condemned the incident. The Ghana Journalists Association described the act as “barbaric and medieval” and expressed concern about the increasing trend of attacks on the media, which they believed amounted to a “state of impunity” worse than the infamous “culture of silence.”
While some NPP members had initially attempted to deny the affiliation of the group to the party, the National Youth Organiser of the NPP, Salam Mustapha, confirmed that all the young men who invaded the media house were indeed known members of the party. However, he clarified that the party did not sanction or endorse the actions of the youth, who included constituency youth organizers and a Deputy Greater Accra Youth Organiser.
Also Read:Kenyan authorities arrest fake lawyer who won all 26 cases he handled in court
“I can’t be on this platform and claim that I don’t know them. All those in the video I know them. And I can confirm that some of them are constituency youth organisers, and one is a Deputy Regional Youth Organiser [Greater Accra]. They are the guys that I work with, and so I cannot deny their bona fide membership to the New Patriotic Party. As for that, I cannot lie on this platform. They’re NPP members that I work with, and I can state emphatically that I know them” he noted.
