Police HQ assumes investigations into assault on Joy News’ Latif

The Police Administration has recanted its earlier position that Joy News journalist, Latif Iddris, was frustrating investigations into the assault he suffered at the hands of policemen at the Police Headquarters in Accra.

A statement issued Friday by DSP Sheilla Kessie Abayie-Buckman of the Police Public Affairs Directorate, said the Police “CID headquarters’ perusal of the case docket shows that Mr. Iddris has returned the medical form issued to him by Police”, the absence of which, among other things, the police had earlier said was responsible for the slow resolution of the matter.

The statement said the Inspector-General of Police has directed the CID headquarters to take over investigation of the case from the Cantonments police, and has also constituted an expanded team of police management board members to meet the National Media Commission mediating the case between the police and the Multimedia Group, employers of the journalist.

Read also: Joy News' Latif stalling investigations into alleged assault – Police

                GJA to petition Vice President over Latif Iddris assault

Latif has been in and out of hospital allegedly with a fractured skull after he was set upon by yet to be identified policemen at the police headquarters while covering a picketing by members of the opposition National Democratic Congress following the arrest in late March, this year, of their Deputy General Secretary, Koku Anyidoho, for alleged incitement.

The Ghana Journalists Association has in the meantime threatened to boycott mediation efforts to foster media-police relations as a result of the police’s inability to find those responsible for assaulting Mr Iddrisu.