Report on arrest/detention of freelance journalist false- National Security

The Ministry of National Security has urged the public to disregard report of the arrest and detention of freelance journalist Sacut Amenga-Etegu by its personnel.

It described the publication, which is in circulation on social media, as false.

Per that report, the journalist was arrested at the premises of a court where he had gone to follow up on a case of extortion levelled against some operatives of the Ministry of National Security.

A statement from the Ministry explained that, “contrary to the content of the publication, the journalist was arrested based on an order of a High Court for filming and/or videoing the Court’s proceedings without authority.”

“It is worth noting that the journalist was remanded by the same Court to reappear on March 14, 2022,” it added.

Making a case

Reports say that lawyers for the freelance journalist had questioned the basis for his detention since last Thursday.

During a media interview, a private legal practitioner, Joe Aboagye Debrah, said his client was yet to be charged despite being in detention for more than 48 hours.

“He’s not been charged with anything, and strangely, they are claiming that it is a judge who has ordered that he be held till March 14, which is absurd because there is no judge in this land who would give such an order,” he stated.

“No matter what has transpired, I don’t think any judge has ordered that Sacut be held incommunicado till 14th of March. From tomorrow [yesterday], we would be back there [at the Court] to determine what is going on; we’d just have to make an inquiry as to where he is physically and to determine the basis for his detention,” he said.

He added: “If we go and we don’t find adequate responses, then we’d work at law to determine what can be done at law because what is happening should not happen to anybody.”