Businessman and founder of Class Media Group, Alhaji Seidu Agongo, has condemned what he described as a “despicable” assault on one of the company’s journalists by uniformed personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service.
Widely circulated videos show firefighters, in full service attire, beating the reporter during coverage of an assignment. “Such conduct has no place in a democratic society that values law, order, and press freedom,” Mr. Agongo said in a statement Tuesday.
He pledged full support for the victim, promising “the best possible health care and legal support,” and vowed that Class Media Group would “stand firmly behind him to get to the bottom of this matter and ensure that those responsible are duly punished.”
The assault occurred on Monday, January 5, 2026, during a chaotic fire at the Kasoa New Market. In the viral footage, fire officers are seen manhandling the reporter, preventing him from filming, and forcibly seizing his mobile phone.
The incident has sparked outrage among media houses and civil society groups, who denounced the Fire Service for breaching press freedom. Mr. Agongo noted that “the silence of the Fire Service’s management is loud enough,” but expressed confidence that the Ghana Police Service would investigate “dispassionately” and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“This is not just about one journalist,” he added. “It is about safeguarding the rights of all citizens and preserving Ghana’s reputation as a beacon of press freedom.”
Meanwhile, Ghana Journalists Association President Albert Kwabena Dwumfour strongly condemned the alleged assault and criticized the conduct of the GNFS, particularly the response of its Public Relations Officer, DO II Desmond Ackah, calling it “unprofessional and unacceptable.”
He noted that while the GNFS claimed it was yet to identify the officers involved, it simultaneously insisted no assault had taken place and that only the journalist’s phone was taken. “You cannot say you are yet to identify your officers and at the same time claim they did not assault the journalist. So who exactly are you referring to?” Mr. Dwumfour asked, describing the explanation as confusing and unsatisfactory.
