The West African Media Foundation (MFWA) is concerned about a three-hour interrogation of Prosper Agbenyegah, editor of the current issue newspaper by the National Security Secretariat in Ghana, on April 7, 2025.
Agbenyegah has been questioned about the story that the current issue has been published in a story about the allegations of the National Electric Power Distributor (ECG), a Ghanaian electricity distributor. His questioning followed an invitation from Richard Jakupa, the director of operations at the National Security Secretariat.
Media reports say the above story concerns leaked documents from national security regarding the transport of some ECG containers. Agbenyegah confirmed the invitation and interrogation in a telephone interview with the MFWA.
Private Newspapers and the Association of Online News Publishers in Ghana (PrinPag) have expressed concern over the incident. In an interview with the MFWA, Prinpag executive director Jeorge Wilson Kingson described the invitation as an attempt to threaten journalists.
“If you’re unhappy about a journalist’s story, the right thing to do is to file a complaint with the National Media Committee (NMC), a state agency with the authority to regulate the media. It’s not just inviting journalists to your office, but it’s a threat,” Kingson said.
Prinpag has issued a community confirming that Agbenyegah has returned from engagement from an unarrested engagement. The statement noted that the encounter was “honest and professional” and focused on the publication of specific classification documents.
“He had not been charged or arrested and no conditions of bail was imposed,” the Communique added.
However, Kingson warned that such invitations were often used to blackmail journalists to reveal their sources, and that experience could threaten the media to self-censorship in subsequent publications.
The MFWA will be involved in puripag in urging the National Security Secretariat and the public to address their complaints, the constitutionally mandated body to regulate Ghanaian media.
