The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa has warned various media houses to desist from interviewing members of the Volta secessionist groups.

His remarks come after a group of armed men believed to be members of a secessionist group known as Western Togoland Restoration Front (WTRF) forcibly took over the Aveyime and Mepe police stations simultaneously on Friday, September 25.

During the raid, they overpowered the police officers, broke into the armoury, and made away with all the weapons, and subsequently blocked the major entries to parts of the Volta Region.

Addressing the media at a conference in Ho, Dr Letsa said it is illegal for media personnel to engage with the secessionist groups referring to them as ‘criminals’.

“These groups sometimes issue some statements and add some telephone numbers and I hear some media houses call them for information.

“It is illegal and you can be taken on [by the law] if you engage in interviews with criminals, so we urge you to never entertain them,” he said.

The Regional Minister also urged the hosts of radio call-in programmes to be effective and critical in moderating the comments of their callers.

The Volta Regional Minister also took the opportunity to debunk allegations of his alleged involvement with the secessionist group as a financier of their activities.

According to Dr Letsa, his work in the Volta Region has spanned over 35 years, making him very well known in the region, however that does not equate to his involvement in their criminal activities in any way.