The Zongo Youth of the Diaspora has condemned the assault of a pastor at a police facility after he was arrested over alleged offensive and provocative religious comments.

A viral video showed Sibamay Zakaria slapping Apostle Daniel Junior Yaw Adjei, who had been arrested over comments considered derogatory to Islam.

Public Relations Officer of the Zongo Youth of the Diaspora, Al-Asbat Sidi, described the assault as unlawful and called for Mr Zakaria to be arrested and investigated.

Speaking on Kuro Yi Mu Nsem on Nhyira FM in Kumasi, Mr Sidi also questioned how the suspect was able to gain access to the police facility and assault a person in custody.

“After we saw what he did, we’ve all totally condemned his actions. What he did was unlawful. I don’t even understand how and under which locus he barged into the CID headquarters to interrogate the pastor, not to talk of he slapping him,” he said.

Mr Sidi further called for officers who were present at the time of the incident to be questioned.

“The CID officers there must be questioned. Why do you allow someone who isn’t a police officer to enter your office to even slap the suspect. On my Facebook wall, I even wrote he must be arrested and interrogated on how he was able to enter the office,” he told Nhyira FM.

Apostle Daniel Junior Yaw Adjei and 35-year-old Imam Masud Abdullah were arrested on Wednesday, August 12, by the National Signals Bureau and the Police Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team over separate alleged inciteful comments.

Mr Sidi commended the arrests, saying the action could help calm tensions and reinforce the need for responsibility in public discourse.

“The arrest should not be viewed as an attempt to appease angry Muslims, but rather as a step towards maintaining peace and responsibility in Ghana's media space,” he said.

He also expressed concern about what he described as the increasing use of unguarded and provocative comments on sensitive religious matters, warning that such utterances could inflame tensions if not handled carefully.

According to him, the police action sends an important signal that individuals must exercise restraint when commenting on religion and other matters capable of disturbing public peace.

He maintained that such incidents should be handled through lawful processes to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence among Ghana’s religious communities.

Meanwhile, Sibamay Zakaria is currently in police custody assisting with investigations and is expected to be arraigned for allegedly assaulting the suspect.