A GHANAIAN lawmaker, Kennedy Agyapong, has been accused of the murder of a journalist, Ahmed Hussein-Suale, who was shot dead by unknown gunmen on Wednesday night in Accra.
Ahmed was an associate of Anas Aremeyaw, a Ghanaian investigative journalist popular for always covering his face with beads when appearing in public.
Agyapong represents Assin Central constituency in the Ghanaian parliament and belongs to the opposition New Patriotic Party.
He had, during a live television interview, described Ahmed as a “very bad boy” urging anybody who comes in contact with him to attack him.
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“That boy is very dangerous, he lives here in Madina,” Agyapong said during the live broadcast on Net2 TV, a station that he owns. He spoke in a local Ghana language and was pointing at Ahmed’s picture on the screen.
“If you meet him anywhere, break his ear (slap him). If he ever comes to this premises, I’m telling you, beat him. Whatever happens, I will pay, because he is bad. That Ahmed is a bad boy.
“Show them his pictures,” he said. At this, Ahmed’s pictures were shown on the screen. “That’s the boy, Ahmed, that’s him,” Agyapong said.
“If he comes here, beat him. This is the boy. He’s a bad boy.”
According to Annas, “two gunmen on a motorbike shot through the car he (Ahmed) was driving (on Wednesday night), broke the car window and shot him three times – twice in the chest and another in the neck. He died on the spot”.
WHO IS KENNEDY AGYAPONG
Agyapong was first elected into the Ghanaian parliament in 2000 to represent Assin North constituency and he retained his seat in 2004 and 2008.
By 2012, the new Assin Central constituency was created, and Agyapong was elected its representative and was also re-elected in 2016.
In total, Agyapong has been in the parliament for 19 years.
Agyapong is also a businessman and aside being the oner of Net2 TV, he also owns a radio station known as Oman FM.
The controversial lawmaker sparked controversy when he spent over five billion Ghana old cedis in 2010 to import a custom-made Rolls Royce luxury vehicle from the UK, and another 2.1 billion cedis to clear it from the Ghanaian ports. He is also rumoured to have a private jet.
However, there are rumours that Agyapong’s media empire was crumbling following months of unpaid salaries which resulted in a mass exodus of workers to other media houses.
CONTROVERSIES
In 2008, Agyapong contested for the Ghanaian presidency on the platform of the New Patriotic Party, but lost out in the first round of the primaries.
When eventually his party lost the election to President John Atta-Mills’ National Democratic Congress, Agyapong criticized the ruling party so harshly that he was detained at the orders of the president, sparking protests.
Also, in March 2017, Agyapong raised corruption allegations against Ibrahim Mahama, brother to the former Ghanaian President, John Mahama, saying that he would drink poison and die if Ibrahim was not investigated by the Nana Akufo-Addo administration.
ENMITY WITH ANAS
Following the publication of Anas’ investigative story on the corruption in the Ghana Football Federation, Agyapong began a campaign against him, calling the authorities to stop the journalist before he starts investigating people in their bedrooms.
“Do you think Anas has the right to do what he is doing? Do you think so? We should be careful the way things are going. We kept quiet over the judges’ issue. Now he is at GFA. Tomorrow it could be you or me. He could be in your bedroom whilst you are asleep with your wife,” he said.
“I totally disagree with his approach. Somebody should take him to court right now to stop him from what he is doing.
“We have to stop him or else, he will end up one day recording you whilst you are asleep with your wife and premiere it in public.”
NOW WHAT?
President Nana Akufo-Addo has directed the police “to bring to book as soon as possible, the perpetrators of this heinous crime.”
Similarly, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), have all called on relevant authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of the crime did not get away with it.
Anas, in a tweet on Thursday, said that he will not be silenced by the murder of his colleague.