The Programme Manager for the Independent Journalism Project at the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Kwaku Krobea Asante, has disclosed that the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has declined to release information relating to the Atomic gas explosion fire incident and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) office fire at Circle.

This is despite formal requests made under the Right to Information (RTI) law.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday during discussions on corruption accountability, Mr Asante indicated that the information was requested by MFWA's The Fourth Estate, in line with statutory provisions intended to promote transparency and public access to official records.

"The National Fire Service, for instance, we requested information about a very important incident in our Ghanaian history. If you remember the Atomic gas explosion."

"We requested information from them (GNFS) to say if the report that was finally put together when you did your investigation, what we can learn from it as a country. What happened at Circle? The GRA office that got burnt, we also requested information on that [but the information was not released]."

He noted that, in its response, the GNFS stated it could not disclose the requested information on the grounds that it contained “third-party issues,” and therefore could not be released into the public domain.

"At the time, the Ghana National Fire Service argued that the information had third parties involved," he claimed.

Mr Asante further disclosed that the matter was subsequently escalated to the Right to Information (RTI) Commission, which reportedly imposed a fine of GH¢50,000 on the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) over its refusal to release the requested information.

According to him, this position effectively limits access to critical public safety information, raising broader concerns about compliance with the RTI framework.

The MFWA programme manager stressed that such incidents underscore the continuing tension between institutional secrecy and the public’s constitutional right to information, particularly in matters involving corruption-related issues.